The Last Dead: Starved For Help
by xXxWoLfwrIT3rxXx
Summary: After spending three months of living inside the Travelier Motel, Lee, Joel, Clementine, Ellie and the rest of their group are starved for help. But when they come across a family of dairy farmers, they are invited to have dinner with them. Will these dairy farmers prove to be the salvation they have been hoping for, or are they not what they appear to be?
1. Chapter 1: Three Months Later

**PREVIOUSLY ON THE LAST DEAD**

Marlene: "I've seen enough to know that this world and everything that we know about it is going to hell."

* * *

Joel: "Hey there. You all set?"

Ellie: "Yeah."

Joel: "All right. Let's go."

* * *

Lee: "You've been… all by yourself through this?"

Clementine: "Yeah, I want my parents to come home now."

* * *

Joel: "Ah, you too, huh?"

Lee: "What? What're you talking about?"

Joel: "Ellie and I are kind of the same deal here."

Ellie: "Yeah, a package deal."

Lee: "Oh. Huh."

* * *

Larry: "Son of a bitch! One of them is bitten!"

* * *

Lee: "It's either him or your son. I say it's him!"

Kenny: "Goddamn right; out on _his_ ass with those things!"

* * *

Doug: "It's Doug, you got it."

Carley: "And I'm Carley."

Kenny: "Okay, Carley, you'll shift in with Doug when he needs it."

Carley "You got it, boss."

* * *

Doug: "No, get them off me! Aaahhhhh!"

Ellie: "Holy shit! Joel, he- they just-"

Joel: "I know… Goddammit!"

Carley: "Oh, my God…"

* * *

Larry: "I know who you are."

* * *

Ellie: "Why the hell didn't you tell him about Tess?"

Joel: "Because he doesn't need to know _anything_ about her."

* * *

**A/N ********The story progresses based on the choices that I have made in the game and how I think Joel and Ellie would fit into the story of The Walking Dead Game. **What started out as a simple hunting trip eventually becomes a gruesome rescue attempt. Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.

xXxWoLfwrIT3rxXx presents

A crossover event

Chapter 1: Three Months Later

Lee, Joel and the Macon survivors have been making their keep at the Travelier Motel since their escape from the drugstore in downtown, Macon. They decided to pay a visit to the Warner Robins Air Force Base in search of supplies and had brought back more than they had bargained for. They had found guns to protect themselves with, plenty of ammo to go with them, barbed wire, flashlights, a few other supplies and a survivor that wears glasses, a jacket with wings designed on the back and worked at the air force base, named Mark, who had brought his own supply of commissary food to the motel that was more than enough for everybody. Now it's three months later, and Lee was in the forest, sneaking up to a walker that was feasting on something that used to be alive. Lee checked to make sure nothing was around him before he rose to his feet and swings his fireaxe directly on to the walker's head and kicks it off. He looked to see what it was eating as Joel came up from behind him with a shotgun.

Joel: "Well, shit. What've they gotten this time?"

Lee: "Looks like a rabbit."

Joel: "Tch, don't we have all the luck."

The two of them began strolling through the woods, trying to find something for them to bring back to the motel to eat.

Lee: "Hard to believe that we've gone through all that commissary food Mark brought in for three months, huh?"

Joel: "I guess, but if it weren't for all that food of his, none of us would even still be around by now. If you ask me, heading on down to that air force base was worth it."

Lee: "I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that looked like it could've lasted longer than this."

Joel: "Yeah, well, it is what it is. Yesterday, Ellie was asking me again about getting her on a training schedule so she could learn how to shoot, saying that she's wanting to do supply runs to the drugstore and do some hunting of her own."

Lee: "And what did you say to her?"

Joel: "I said that it's probably not a good idea, and she wasn't happy."

The man couldn't blame her for that. With all the tension that's been going on within the group, everyone was on the edge nowadays.

Lee: "I'm not exactly keen to the idea of Clementine handling a gun, either."

Joel: "It ain't because I think that she's too young to learn, Lee. I just don't think that she can even handle using a firearm. Anyway, I went through all the food we had left before we came out here, and guess how much left of it there is."

Lee had thought about it for a moment and took a guess.

Lee: "Enough to last us for the rest of today?"

Joel: "For the rest of the week, actually."

Lee: "That still ain't gonna be enough for everyone."

Joel: "If we manage to find ourselves a buck out here, there will be for today. Hell, I'll even settle for a raccoon."

Lee: "You think Kenny and Mark are having better luck out here than we are?"

Joel: "I hope so. Between the lack of food and Kenny and Lilly's endless debating, that motel ain't exactly what I would call a paradise. You know, Kenny was actually talking about leaving once he manages to get that old RV up and ready to go, which I still think he's wasting his time on."

Lee: "Kenny won't abandon us. He's a good man."

Joel: "If that's what you think, but it sounds like his mind has already been made up. Can't say that I blame him. Larry's been giving him hell last night, and I really wish Ellie would stop trying to pick a fight with him. I've also notice that he's been giving _you_ the most hell out of the rest of us. Mind telling me what it is that he's got against you?"

Lee was considering of telling him the real reason why Larry hates him so much, which wouldn't be the first time. But instead, he shakes the thought out of his head and lies to Joel.

Lee: "He's just an old racist asshole. That's _his_ deal."

Joel: "Yeah? Well, I could give two shits of what his deal is. Heart condition or not, he needs to start pulling more of his own weight around at the motor inn. And Lilly can go on about how his health ain't getting better all she wants, but that man can take care of himself. He may be old, but he's also about as strong as an ox. Which reminds me, I never did a straight answer on why he punched you in the face that one time?"

Lee: "That was, uh… just him getting payback at me for telling him off at the drugstore."

Joel: "Pssh, he certainly knows how to hold a grudge, then."

Other than finding a rabbit that got devoured and seeing a couple of birds flying by, the two of them weren't having much luck in their little hunting trip. But then, they spot a lone walker standing in one spot with its back turned on them. The two of crouch down beside a bush and Joel makes hand gestures to Lee of how they'll handle it. He silently tells him to sneak up on it and take it out while he goes around and watches his back. Lee slowly approaches the walker with his firmly in his hands. It was going smoothly until another living carcass unexpectedly came up to him snarling on his left. Before it could try to pounce on him, Joel grabs it by putting his shotgun around its neck and drags it backwards. The walker that Lee tried to sneak up on had turned around and noticed him. When it started stumbling towards him, he immediately rises back up and brings it down on the ground by swinging his axe hard on its head. Joel dragged the other walker over by a tree and shoves its head right through a branch, piercing its brain. It was a close call for both of them.

Lee: "I hope walkers don't become the only thing that we find out here."

Joel: "There's still plenty of wildlife around here so far. Let's keep looking."

After taking a few more steps forward, they both suddenly hear somebody screaming from the top of his lungs.

Joel: "What the- Who the hell is screaming?"

Lee: "I don't know. Come on!"

They both run to the right through some bushes and try to find whoever it was that was screaming. Lee was thinking that it was Kenny, or maybe even Mark and were both probably in a lot of trouble. Either way, he and Joel had to hurry. They run past several trees and bushes while glancing left and right. They eventually stop right beside a stump to look around them until they hear someone scream again.

Joel: "This way!"

They run to the left, passed a few more trees and find two teenage boys standing over a man with his leg clamped by a bear trap, which was the one who had been screaming in pain. They were all wearing letterman jackets with their names on them. The black-haired boy, named Travis, was tying his belt on the man's leg, named David. The brown-haired boy, named Ben, was just standing there with a horrified look on his face.

Joel: "You've gotta be kidding me."

The two teens noticed them and raised their hands in surrender.

Travis: "Oh Shit! No, no, please don't kill us! We just want to help our teacher! We'll leave, I swear!"

And then, Kenny and the new member of the group, Mark, arrive to the scene with their rifles.

Kenny: "Lee! Joel! You two okay?"

Joel: "Yeah, we're fine, but…"

Mark: "Jesus Christ."

David: "Get it off! Get it off, Goddammit! Get it off me!"

Ben: "Travis, maybe they can help!"

Travis: "These might be the same guys that raided our camp, and we barely got away from _that_!"

Mark: "What guys?"

Kenny: "Why the fuck is there a bear trap out here?"

Ben: "I don't know, man!"

Lee: "What the hell happened?"

Ben: "Mr. Parker said we should stay off the streets. We were trying to be careful, but-"

David yells again in agony before Ben could finish explaining.

Joel: "Yeah, we get the picture."

Mark: "Guys, this is fucked up! We gotta help them!"

Ben: "Please!"

Travis: "Ben, shut up! My dad was Special Forces; I know what I'm doing!"

Ben: "Just see if you can get him out! After that, you can leave us or whatever, I don't care! Please!"

The four men had been silent for a brief moment until Lee spoke up again.

Lee: "We gotta get him outta there!"

David: "Oh, God, thank you."

Kenny: "Fine, but you gotta hurry."

Mark: "Let me take a look at it. Maybe I can find the release latch on this thing. That'll get it open."

Marks bends down to look at the trap and starts fiddling with it to find the release latch on it. But then, a walker emerges from the left and was coming straight towards them. Joel raises his weapon, takes aim and fires a buckshot at its head. He pumps his shotgun as he says,

Joel: "We're gonna have to make it fast, or we'll be surrounded by more of those any minute."

David: "Hurry, please! Hurry!"

Mark: "Guys, this trap's been altered. There's no release latch."

Joel: "What?! Ah, fucking perfect."

But then, Travis notices more of the undead from a distance. He looked very worried when they were staggering towards them.

Travis: "Oh no."

All the other survivors saw the walkers coming and they all knew that they didn't have much time before even more of them show up.

Kenny: "Oh, fuck me! More walkers are coming!"

Joel: "Lee, if you wanna help him, you've got to do it now!"

David: "Please! Get me out of this!"

The man with the axe takes action as he proceeds to the bear trap.

Lee: "Mark, get the boys back!"

Mark nods at him, gets Travis and Ben away from the bear trap and aims his weapon at the walkers, along with Kenny and Joel. Lee kneels down to the trap while saying,

Lee: "Joel, Kenny, keep those walkers off of me!"

Joel: "Just get the damn thing open!"

Lee examines the trap for a moment and tries to think of how he was supposed to open it if there was no release latch while his comrades behind him were popping bullets at the walkers to keep them at bay.

Ben: "Do you think you can get it open?"

He sets his axe down so that he can try to pry it open with his bare hands, but David shouts in pain and tells him to stop. He would have to figure out another way to open it.

Mark: "Lee, do something!"

He notices a rock beside the bear trap and decides to use it. He picks it up from the ground, stands over the chain that was attached to the trap, raises the rock over his head and throws it down on the chain. It had no effect.

Ben: "There's gotta be something we can do!"

Travis: "Try to cut the chain!"

Lee heard his suggestion and gives it a try. He picks his axe back up, raises it up and brings down on the chain. Not a single scratch on it.

David: "Hurry! Aaaauuuggh!"

Lee tries it again, but still wasn't getting anywhere.

Kenny: "Let's go, let's go!"

Lee swings at the chain a third time and Mark stops him when he recognized what the chain was made out of.

Mark: "Forget it! We use chain like that in the Air Force base to lift ordinance. You're _not_ cutting through that!"

Lee gives up on cutting the chain and kneels back down to think of a different method to free David.

David: "Come on, try something."

Ben: "Oh, Jesus, those things are gonna be here soon."

Joel: "Lee, it's now or never!"

Lee notices a branch that was also close to the bear trap. He picks it up and tries to use it to pry the trap open. But then it breaks and it was now useless.

Lee: "Goddamn it!"

Mark: "Lee, it has to be now!"

He throws the branch away and tries to use his axe to pry it open. David continues screaming and once again tells Lee to stop since it was causing so much pain to him.

Lee: "Ergh, fuck!"

Joel fired his shotgun at another walker and was beginning to become impatient of Lee not being able to make any kind of progress.

Joel: "Lee, what the fuck is taking you so long?!"

Lee: "I'm trying everything I can, but I can't figure out how to open the fucking thing!"

Joel: "Shit!… If you can't open it, then you'll just have to cut him free."

Ben: "What?!"

Travis: "Jesus! You're crazy, man!"

Joel: "Do you want us to help your teacher or not?"

Ben: "Well, y-yeah, but…"

Lee: "Joel, if I chop off his leg, he could die a lot sooner from blood loss."

Joel: "Have you got any better ideas?"

Lee: "No, but still-"

Mark: "Damn it, Lee, just cut off his fucking leg!"

Kenny: "We don't have time for that! I'm sorry, but we have to go, now!"

Lee looks ahead in the forest and sees a small herd of walkers heading their way. All of them were being attracted by David's blood and screams. He takes a look at the man's clamped leg again and decides to go with Joel's suggestion. He slowly stands back up, tightening his grip on the axe in his hands. David could tell what he was about to do just by looking at his face.

David: "Oh, God."

Lee: "I'm gonna have to cut you out."

David: "No, no, no! Try the trap again! Anything! Please!"

Lee cringes when he raises the axe over his head. He didn't like what he was about to do, but if it ends up saving his life, then it'll end up being worth it. Lee swings the axe on David's leg, causing a major wound to form and blood splatters all over. The teacher's painful screams intensify when Lee lifts the axe and chops his leg again. David clutches his half-chopped leg and Lee brings the axe down on his leg for a third time in a row. It was almost off; the leg was hanging by the threads of his appendages. He takes a deep breath to prepare to swing his axe on the poor man one last time. He lifts it over his head, swings it hard on the leg and was now completely free from the bear trap. David had tried let out another scream, but then faints. As soon as Travis looked at what Lee just did,

Travis: "Oh, God!"

He instantly walks a few steps away and spews his guts out. Mark and Joel stand beside Lee to see what he had just done the teacher.

Mark: "Shit! Is he…"

Lee: "He passed out."

Blood was leaking out from the chopped leg, forming a pool of blood on the grass.

Kenny: "If he's alive, grab him and let's go!"

Mark straps his rifle on his back, pulls David up and carries him away on his shoulders. Kenny had went ahead to find the quickest way back to the motor inn. Joel ushers Ben to follow them, but Lee sees the walkers getting close to the other teen.

Lee: "Behind you!"

Joel and Ben turned to see Travis wiping the bile from his lips and wasn't paying attention to what was approaching him from behind.

Ben: "Travis!"

Ben tried to run over to his friend, but he was held back by Lee and Joel.

Joel: "There's nothing we can do, kid! There's too many of them!"

Lee: "Come on, come on! We gotta move!"

Travis: "Aaahh!"

The walkers were closing in on Travis. He tumbles down backwards on the grass and tries to get away from them, but his back connects with a boulder that was right behind him. He had nowhere to run. He cries for help and screams in terror when three walkers grab on to him. They start biting down on his neck and eating him alive.

Ben: "NOOO!"

**THE LAST DEAD**

**EPISODE TWO: STARVED FOR HELP**

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2: Life at the Motor Inn

**A/N ****After chopping off a man's leg and fleeing from a herd of walkers, the survivors return to their safe haven. Some will be given the chance to eat while others will go hungry. Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 2: Life at the Motor Inn

Things have been quiet back at the Travelier Motel. The air was cold and the wind was blowing dry leaves around. Everyone was now wearing jackets and warm clothing to keep themselves warm. Ever since day one at the motor inn, Kenny and Lilly had been having endless spats over how things should be handled when it comes to survival.

Over the past three months, Lilly had the adult survivors on schedules to learn how to properly shoot a firearm and to keep watch on top of the old RV Kenny had been working on to get it running so he could hopefully take his family to a place where their safety would be guaranteed. Larry was now using a rock to hammer in a nail to fortify the wooden wall they had been building to keep out walkers. Carley had been doing the bulk of the lookout duty, but she was taking a nap on a sofa that had been laid out in the parking lot beside the RV and Lilly was now on watch with a rifle in her lap. Ellie was sitting on a lawn chair reading a comic book titled "Savage Starlight" they found in one of the rooms while Duck was sitting beside her and using a crayon to color in a drawing he was working on. Since Katjaa had plenty of training on first-aid in her days as a veterinarian, she became the group's nurse and helped treat members of the group's cuts, bruises or even wounds whenever they come back from supply runs or hunting trips. She walks up to Duck and Ellie and kneels beside them to see how they were doing. Clementine was kicking a soccer ball they had found back and forth at a barrel in front of her and was missing the ball cap that used to be on her head.

Lilly looked down at the motel and watched Clementine kick the ball for a bit before turning her attention to her father. When he turned to face her, a small smile formed on her face, but that didn't stay there for long when she heard rustling in the forest. She stands when she saw movement from a distance and aims her rifle at the bushes and trees. Clementine continued kicking the ball at the barrel until Lilly whistled, signaling everyone to quiet down just as Carley had woken up. Lilly watched and waited for whatever was out there to come out. Lee had emerged from the bushes with a teenage boy right beside him.

Lee: "Get the gates open! We've got wounded!"

Lilly: "Shit. What the hell are they doing?"

She sets the rifle down and climbs down the RV. Everyone started gathering around the front of the parking lot as Joel, Kenny and Mark also came out of the forest with the unconscious man that was now one leg short and approached two dumpsters that they were using as gates.

Joel: "Everyone inside!"

Kenny: "Come on, come on!"

Katjaa: "Oh, my God!"

Lee had pushed one of the dumpsters to get it open and while the others were getting inside, everyone began talking at once.

Katjaa: "What happened?"

Ellie: "Joel, who's that?"

Larry: "Who the hell are these people?"

Carley: "Lee, what's going on?"

Lee: "We don't have time to explain."

Mark: "Where should I put him?"

Clementine: "Lee, are you okay?"

Katjaa: "Get him into the truck; I'll see what I can do."

Mark and Ben had placed David on the back of the old yellow pickup truck and Lee had closed the gates.

Kenny: "Kat, can you fix him?"

Katjaa: "Jesus, Ken! I-I don't know!"

Lilly: "Lee! Joel!"

Joel: "What?!"

Lilly: "What the hell? You can't just be bringing new people here! What were you thinking?"

Kenny: "Hey, you wanna calm down for a fucking minute?"

Larry: "Hey, watch your mouth!"

Lilly: "No, I don't! I want to know why you all thought bringing more mouths to feed was a good idea?!"

Lee: "He would've died if we left him!"

Larry: "So what?"

Lilly: "We are _not_ responsible for every struggling survivor we come across! We have to focus on _our_ group! Right here, right now!"

Carley: "Well, hang on! We haven't even talked to these people yet. Maybe they _can_ be helpful."

Mark: "Come on, Lilly, these are people; people trying to survive just like us! We've got to stick together to survive!"

Lilly: "The only reason _you're_ here is because you had food; enough for _all_ of us. But that food is almost gone. We've got maybe a week's worth left, and I don't suppose you guys are carrying any groceries, are you?"

Ben: "Um, no."

Mark: "Fine, you guys fight it out, then. Tch, welcome to the family, kid."

Mark walks away from the argument and proceeds to do some maintenance on the wooden wall. Clementine stands next to Ben and tugs on his sleeve.

Clementine: "Come over here and see what I drew."

Ben: "What? No, I-"

Joel: "Boy, just go, alright? This ain't the best time for you to get involved right now."

Ben nervously nods and follows the little girl over to her drawings just as Kenny takes a step towards Lilly and lets out his irritation.

Kenny: "You know, you like to think you're the leader of this little group, but we can make our own goddamn decisions! This isn't your own… personal dictatorship!"

Carley: "Oh, come on, you're being dramatic!"

The two of them glare at her before she continued.

Carley: "Everything always turns into a power struggle between you two. I'm not gonna be a part of that!"

The journalist walks away towards Clementine and Ben and sits down on a lawn chair.

Lilly: "Hey, I didn't _ask_ to lead this group. Everyone was happy to have to distributing the food when there was enough to go around. But now that it's running out, suddenly I'm a goddamn Nazi!"

Lee: "Kenny's right. Yeah, you're in charge of the food and the schedules, but you're not in charge of people's _lives_."

Lilly: "Really?!"

Kenny: "You weren't there. Lee made a choice. End of story."

Kenny walks off to the RV with his son right behind him. Joel gave Lee a look before he spoke to Lilly.

Joel: "Look, as soon as Katjaa is done patching up that guy, you can kick em out of here. Send them out there with nothing but a stick and a pebble if you want to, I don't give a shit."

Lee: "But they at least deserve a fighting chance against the walkers. And for the record, Kenny _wanted_ to leave those people behind!"

Lilly: "If Kenny would pull his head out of his ass for five seconds, he'd realize that I make these decisions to protect _his_ family! We simply don't have enough food!"

Joel: "Tell us something that ain't new around here."

Joel walks away and Larry speaks up while glaring at Lee.

Larry: "I don't see any of you stepping up to make the hard decisions."

Ellie: "That's because you hardly do anything around here except laze around and talk like a major jackass all day long."

Larry: "Oh really? And when was the last time you've ever done anything important?"

Ellie: "I can do a hell of a lot more than _you_ ever could."

Larry: "That so? Well guess what? _My_ girl's got more balls than all of you combined!"

Ellie: "Yeah, that'll really toughen up her image."

Ellie heads back to her lawn chair to resume reading her comic book while Larry was grumbling under his breath.

Larry: "That little punk and that sharp tongue of hers, I swear-"

Lilly: "Dad, please. Why don't you go help Mark with the wall?"

Larry listens to his daughter and gives Lee a glare before getting back to work on the wall.

Lilly: "You know what? If you think I'm doing such a shitty job, than _you_ do it."

Lilly walks over to a pack that was lying against the RV while Lee followed after her. She pulls a few pieces of food from the pack and holds them out in front of Lee.

Lilly: "That's _all_ the food we have for today. You decide who gets to eat."

Lee: "Lilly-"

Lilly: "No, I'm serious. Pick up that food and start handing it out. _You_ see how it feels to not have enough food for everyone."

The man knew that she wasn't fooling around; he takes the rations from her hands and she goes back to the top of the RV to resume her shift on keeping watch. Lee looks his hands to see the food that he had been given. In his hands were two packets of cheese and crackers, a piece of jerky, half of an apple and an energy bar. That's a total of five pieces of food, but there were twelve people inside the motel. It was nowhere near enough for everybody. He looks around to see the people looking at him, knowing that Lee would be the one to hand out the rations for today before they all went back to their business. He looks at the food in his hands once more before putting them inside his pockets. Lee decides that the first thing he should do was make sure that Clementine was doing okay. He sees her sitting in between Ben and Duck and makes his way over to them. The little girl turned to see him coming and stands up.

Lee: "How ya doing, Clementine?"

Clementine: "Okay."

Lee: "Where's your hat?"

Clementine: "I don't know. Can you help me find it?"

Lee: "Sure. When did you lose it?"

Clementine: "I had it a couple days ago."

Lee: "I promise if I find it, I'll let you know."

Clementine: "Thank you."

Lee: "Okay, Clem, I've got to take care of some things. Why don't you go back to working on your drawings for a while?"

Clementine: "Okay."

She sits back down and resumes working on one of the drawings she was finishing. Carley was sitting in her own lawn chair watching the kids and Lee approaches her.

Lee: "Hey, Carley."

Carley: "Hey."

Lee: "Sleeping any better?"

Carley: "No. I know we should be grateful for beds, but no, I'm not."

Lee: "Drugstore?"

Carley: "Yeah."

The memories of her near-death experience and Doug being dragged through that window would never leave her mind. Lee reminds himself of the rations duty he was given and asks Carley about it. Asking her for advice was something he had been doing more often lately.

Lee: "Lilly has me handing out the food."

Carley: "Ugh. That can't be an easy job."

Lee: "It's not; I won't be able to feed everyone. What should I do?"

Carley: "Well, if you wanted to get in good with Lilly, I'd make sure Larry gets some food, even though the guy can be a real dick sometimes. On the other hand, giving that food to Kenny and his family might make him remember you, if he decides to take off in that RV one day."

Lee: "What about you? You need food, too."

Carley: "We _all_ need food. I can't tell you what to do, but whatever happens, I know you'll be trying to do the right thing."

Lee: "Thanks, Carley. Back in a bit."

She nods at him and looks at the kids. Lee sees Ben gloomily sitting beside Clementine and checks up on him.

Ben: "Hey, is my friend gonna make it?"

Lee: "I don't know, but Katjaa will do her best, I promise."

Ben: "I can't believe you chopped off his leg."

Lee: "There was no other way."

Ellie listened in on their conversation and stops her reading her book for a moment when she asks,

Ellie: "Why did you have to chop it off in the first place?"

Lee: "Because he was got himself caught in a bear trap. We tried all that we could to get him out of it, but…"

Ellie: "All right, I get it."

She resumes her reading and Lee continues his conversation with the teen boy.

Lee: "How you holding up, kid?"

Ben: "Um, well, I uh… I keep wondering if I could've done something to help, you know? Some kind of… I don't know, _something_."

Lee: "I'm sure you did all you could."

Ben: "Yeah, maybe."

Lee: "So, who are you people? Our group's gonna want to know."

Ben: "I'm Ben. Ben Paul. The man you saved is Mr. Parker, the band director at my school. We all came from Stone Mountain for the playoffs when… when everything happened."

Lee: "Relax, we'll get your friend back to normal in no time."

Ben: "I sure hope so."

Lee turned around to see Katjaa still working on David's leg and makes his way toward them, but chose to have a talk with Lilly first before he does by stopping in front of the hood of the RV and looks up at her.

Lee: "Lilly."

Lilly: "What?"

Lee: "We should talk about you and Kenny."

Lilly: "What about us?"

Lee: "The arguing; it's getting pretty out of hand. You know people notice that."

Lilly: "Look, I'm working my _ass_ off to make sure we have a good set-up here and Kenny just doesn't appreciate that. All we need is food."

Lee: "But there _is_ no food. You know that better than anyone."

Lilly: "Well, we'll just have to find some."

Lee: "Maybe we should think about leaving the motel."

Lilly: "God, not you too. I know Kenny wants to leave. I think that's why he's so eager to get the RV working. But this is a good spot; we're protected, we're close to the drugstore, we have a routine now, and it's working."

Lee: "For now. Keep an eye out."

Lilly: "Fine."

Lee walks over to Katjaa and sees David lying on the truck with his eyes closed and slightly moving.

Lee: "Is he gonna be okay?"

Katjaa: "I don't know. Can you give me a hand real quick?"

Lee: "Sure. What do you need?"

Katjaa: "Just apply some pressure here while I try to close this up."

Lee places both of his hands on top of the band director's amputated leg and pushes down on it while Katjaa sews up the wound.

Katjaa: "You know, I thought I was starting to get used to this; sewing up peoples' injuries. But, I mean, cuts and bruises are one thing, but Lee, this man has no leg!"

Lee: "I did the right thing."

Katjaa: "Yeah, I know you did. The right thing is just scary sometimes, I guess… Well, you've done all you can, Lee. Thanks for the help."

Lee removes his hands from David's leg and takes a step back.

Katjaa: "Go ahead and check in on the others. I need a little space here anyways."

He leaves her to do her work and heads over to Mark and Larry. Mark was struggling to keep a piece of 2x4 in place, which made Larry get irritated with him.

Larry: "Will ya hold the damn board steady?"

Mark: "I'm trying, I- I didn't know I was getting this weak already."

Larry: "What do you want, a handout? I've got sixty cents in my pocket, if you'll shut up and quit being such a pansy."

Mark holds the board long enough for Larry to get a nail in and takes a step back. He notices that Lee was standing behind him and turns around.

Mark: "Hey. You holding up okay, Lee? That was pretty fucked up back there; having to cut that guy's leg off."

Lee: "Yeah, I just hope Katjaa can save him."

Marks nods at him in agreement.

Lee: "You ever miss the Air Force base? I mean, this wall isn't exactly military standard."

Mark: "No way I'm going back there. You saw what it was like when you guys picked me up. Completely overrun."

He started to think back on how many walkers were there when they first arrived at the base and how plenty more of them had shown up when they had to depart from that place.

Lee: "Yeah, it was. You know, Lilly's pretty pissed at us."

Mark: "Listen, I know her intentions are good, but-"

Larry: "But nothing! She's making the smart choice! Those parasites you guys brought back need to go!"

Lee: "Need any help with the wall?"

Larry: "Nope."

Mark: "Actually, we could use your axe. You mind if we take it?"

Larry: "Yeah, give us that thing for a bit."

Lee gave them both a look and thought for a moment of who to give his axe to until he hands it over.

Lee: "Here, Mark, this should help."

Mark: "Thanks."

Larry: "Hey, I'm the one doing all the work over here. You didn't think to give _me_ the axe?"

Mark: "Come on, Larry, give it a rest! What is it between you two? Why do you have such a personal grudge against Lee?"

Larry: "He knows why."

Indeed that he did know. Like Carley, Larry was someone that knew about his past and he has been holding it against him ever since. Lee walks away from the two men to let them continue working on the wall, but not before he glared back at the old man. Joel was organizing some of the supplies that he had inside his own personal backpack on a desk until he had noticed the man approaching him from behind and turned around.

Lee: "Joel?"

Joel: "Hey, Lee. Have you started giving out them rations yet?"

Lee: "No, not yet. I will, though."

Joel: "I know that it ain't gonna be an easy task, but you're gonna have to get started on it sooner or later. You know, I'm a little surprised at you for siding with Kenny the way you did just now. I mean, you're usually the one who has to play the diplomatic one around here."

Lee: "Yeah, well, I know that Lilly's trying to be a good leader for the group, but I do think that she should start getting along with Kenny once in a while, you know?"

Joel: "Well, you just be sure if you think what you're doing is the right thing."

Lee: "…I think about that all the time. I thought we'd be fine if we survived the walkers. Never expected they'd starve us out."

Joel: "You're telling me. I'm not even sure if any of us are gonna last much longer at this rate. If we don't find us some more food soon, Lee, we're all gonna be fucked. I mean, more fucked than we already are."

Lee: "Let's make sure it doesn't come to that. Anyway, what do you think that we oughta do about these new people?"

Joel: "I- Shit, I don't know. I mean, it _is _a nice change of pace to be seeing new faces around here and all, but we've barely got enough food _and_ supplies for the people we have here with us now."

Lee: "So, you think letting them stay here isn't an option either, then?"

Joel: "Let's just wait until Katjaa gets done with that teacher, and then we can have this conversation again."

Lee: "Okay then. I'll get back to it."

Joel: "Right."

Lee decides to check in on Clementine once more. She was putting the finishing touches on her picture, but sets her crayon down when she noticed her caretaker kneel beside her and faces him. He notices her walkie-talkie that was placed next to her and her crayons.

Lee: "That thing doesn't work anymore, does it?"

Clementine: "No, not since it broke at the drugstore."

Lee: "Just gonna hold on to it then?"

Clementine: "Yeah, if that's okay. I, um, I need it."

Lee: "It's okay, hon."

The little girl had been using the walkie-talkie to have pretend conversations with her parents on it, which made her think back on the conversation she had with Lee in the office of the drugstore and remembered what he told her before about her parents.

Clementine: "You said they'd find us."

Lee: "I know, I did."

Clementine: "And until then…"

Lee: "Look, Clementine…"

Clementine: "I'm not stupid, Lee. I know it's just pretend, but it makes me feel better."

Lee: "Okay, you take good care of it, then."

She had leaned over to pat her walkie-talkie twice before she responded.

Clementine: "I will."

Lee: "How you doing, Clementine? Everything all right?"

Clementine: "Yeah. Is that man going to be okay?"

Lee: "I'm not sure."

Clementine: "I hope he will. I'm so hungry, Lee. I hope I get to eat soon."

The man decides that she shouldn't have to wait any longer.

Lee: "Here, Clem. You need something to eat."

Clementine watches him reach in to his pocket, takes out half an apple from it and placed it in her hand.

Clementine: "I love apples! Thank you. Are there more?"

Lee: "No, honey. That was the last one."

Clementine: "Oh. Umm…"

Lee: "Enjoy it. You deserve it."

She nods at him and takes a bite out of her fruit. Lee raises back up and checks in on Kenny's son.

Lee: "How are ya doing, Duck?"

Duck: "I'm okay. Me and Clementine are coloring."

Speaking of which, the little girl had finished her drawing and holds it up for Ben and Duck to see.

Clementine: "Guess what it is."

Ben: "I don't know… A dog?"

Clementine: "Nope."

Duck: "Oh, I know! It's a goat, right?"

Clementine: "No!"

Ellie looks away from her comic book for a moment to take a look at Clementine's drawing and made her guess.

Ellie: "Um, is it a cat?"

Clementine: "Yeah, that's it."

Duck: "How did you know?"

Ellie: "The stripes and the ears gave me a hint."

Duck: "Aw man, I thought those were horns."

Lee: "Maybe you'll get it right next time. You were pretty brave when we brought those people in here."

Duck: "That's cause I know Mom can fix him."

Lee: "Let's hope. Hey, Duck. How about a little food?"

Duck eagerly sat up and watch Lee take out one of the packets of cheese and crackers from his pocket and hands it over to him.

Lee: "Here."

Duck: "Yeah! Oh man, I'm so hungry!"

Lee smiles at his enthusiasm and the way he had ripped open the packet to shove all the food in it down his throat. He thought about how long Carley had gone without a meal and chose to feed her next as he approaches her again.

Lee: "Hey Carley."

Carley: "Yeah?"

Lee: "Want something to eat?"

Carley watches him reach into his pocket to take out an energy bar and holds it out in front of her.

Lee: "Here."

Carley: "Me? How about you? You look like crap, Lee. When was the last time you ate?"

Lee: "I'm okay."

Carley: "I want you to have this, okay? In case you or Clementine starts feeling weak."

Lee relents and places the rations back into his pocket.

Carley: "I know I said it didn't matter why you saved me instead of Doug, but-"

Lee: "You don't owe me anything, Carley."

Carley just simply looks away again and Lee heads over to Ellie to see how she was doing.

Lee: "Hey there, Ellie."

Ellie: "Hi, Lee."

Lee: "How do you like that comic book? You almost done reading it yet?"

Ellie: "I've already read the whole thing a few weeks ago, but it helps pass the time and yeah, I do like it. I'm hoping that Joel can find the next issue of this the next time he heads out to Macon."

Lee: "If he gets lucky out there, he probably will. I've, uh, heard from Joel that you've been wanting to learn how to shoot lately."

Ellie: "Yeah, I do. I can't just sit around here and do nothing forever. I want to help you guys kill some walkers and find more food for all of us. Don't you think that I should be out there helping you guys?"

Lee: "You know that isn't up for me to decide, right?"

Ellie: "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to get your opinion, that's all."

The man could tell that her mood was becoming dampened and decides that maybe some rations would help brighten it back up.

Lee: "Here, Ellie. It's not much, but…"

Ellie watches him take out the second packet of cheese and crackers from his pocket and hands it over to her.

Ellie: "Are you sure?"

Lee: "Yeah. Go on, take it."

Ellie: "Well, I _am_ hungry, so… okay. Thanks, Lee."

Lee: "Sure."

Joel looked over his shoulder for a moment when he had noticed the young girl in his care open the packet and eating some crackers after dipping them in some cheese and then goes back to organizing his backpack. Lee now has only two rations left. He thought about Katjaa again and heads back towards her to give her something to eat.

Lee: "Here, eat something."

Katjaa: "I appreciate the offer, but I'm a little busy with your mess right now. I need space, Lee."

He would have to offer food to someone else. Lee walks around the RV and towards the sofa Kenny was sitting on while working on one of the RV's pipes. He stands in front of him and crosses his arms.

Lee: "Word's getting out that you wanna leave the motor inn."

Kenny: "That ain't no secret, Lee. It's probably our best bet."

Lee looks away while furrowing his eyebrows until Kenny stood up.

Kenny: "Look, you've been good to me and my family. You saved Duck from those monsters, and you stood up to Larry at the drugstore. I won't forget that. You and Clem are welcome to come with us."

Lee could tell that he had made up his mind about leaving, just like Joel had told him. He had thought about the idea of leaving to the coast for a moment and says,

Lee: "The coast does sound like a smart idea. Maybe it is the best thing."

Kenny: "I know that it is. I'm taking my family."

Kenny takes a seat back on the sofa and Lee keeps the conversation going.

Lee: "Thanks for buying time to get the guy out of the bear trap back there."

Kenny: "I can't believe you cut off his leg. I don't know if I coulda done it."

Lee: "I didn't have a choice. It was that or the walkers. Lilly has a point about these new people being extra mouths to feed."

Kenny: "I know, but maybe the problem isn't that there isn't any food, there just isn't any _here_. We gotta think about moving on."

Lee: "Let's hope things turn for the better soon."

Kenny: "Now, _there's_ a statement I can get behind."

Kenny went back to work on the pipe while Lee fumbled around his pockets and chooses to give one of the only two rations he had left in them to Kenny.

Lee: "Want something to eat?"

Kenny looks up and watches Lee take out a piece of jerky from his pocket and holds it out in front of him.

Lee: "Here, Kenny, take this."

Kenny: "How about my boy? He eat yet?"

Lee: "Yeah, I gave him something."

Kenny: "Sure, then hand it over, I'm starved. Thanks."

Lee nods at him and watched as he took a bite out of the jerky. As soon as he turned around, he was aware that he only had one piece of food left. He takes out the energy bar from his pocket and stares at it in his hand, thinking about what he should do with it. He didn't know whether or not if he should hang on to it for someone else or himself. He kept thinking until he thought about what Carley had told him when he attempted to offer it to her and made a decision. He puts the ration food back in his pocket for himself to have and to keep his own strength up. With that done, he walks back to the front of the RV, Lilly looks down at him and he nods at her to let her know that he's served all the rations.

Lilly: "Not such an easy job, is it?"

Lee: "Never said that it was. I don't envy you. I don't know how you have the strength to do this every day."

Lilly: "I don't have a choice."

Kenny had come walking up to Lee from the sofa, looking gratified.

Kenny: "Hey, thanks for looking out for me and my family. I'm serious about that offer to come with us. You've more than earned a ride in the RV with me… Still, I guess some people aren't gonna be happy with your choices."

Lee: "Tell me about it…"

Just then, Larry was making his way over to Lee, looking very angry as usual.

Larry: "You're out? What happened to _my_ food?!"

Lee: "There's none left."

Larry: "You keep treating people like this and your days in this group are numbered!"

Kenny "You're one to talk, old man."

Larry: "Yeah, well I don't see you working on that wall!"

The old man went back to work on the wall again while Kenny returns to the sofa until Katjaa started calling out,

Katjaa: "Ken, Joel, Lee! Come here, please."

The three men had approached her and could already guess why she had called them over.

Joel: "He didn't make it, did he?"

Katjaa: "He… lost too much blood."

Joel lets out an exasperated sigh while hanging his head and placing his hands on his hips. Kenny had scowled at the news and walks off.

Kenny: "Goddamn it. I'm getting sick of this shit!"

He throws the pipe on the ground so hard that it ricochets to the side of the RV.

Katjaa: "Ken, come back, there's nothing-"

Lee: "Let him go, Katjaa."

Katjaa: "But-"

Lee: "He just needs time. It's been a rough morning."

Katjaa: "That man you brought… I tried, but he was never going to survive."

Joel: "At least he ain't anybody's problem anymore."

Joel also walks away to return to his backpack on the desk. Katjaa looked at Ben to see that he was talking to her son and the two girls.

Katjaa: "What about the other kid?"

Lee thought what to say to her about Ben until he hears moaning and sees some hands reaching out from behind Katjaa and grabbed onto her head.

Katjaa: "Aaaahh!"

It was David. Somehow he had come back as a walker and was about to take a bite of the woman's neck.

Lee: "Shit! Katjaa!"

The man quickly got in right between them; he plants one hand on David's decayed face, the other on the back of Katjaa's head and pushes both of them away from each other. With one quick push, he separates Katjaa from the undead teacher's grasp, turns around and shouts out to Mark.

Lee: "The axe! Hurry!"

Suddenly, he gets snagged by his left shoulder and onto the back of the old pickup. Lee places his hands on the walker's shoulders to keep it from getting any closer to his face since they were already inches away from each other. The undead teacher was snarling and chomping right in front of him. Lee desperately slams its head to the left side of the pickup, and then slams it again on the right side and then back to the left. There wasn't much else he could do against this walker with his bare hands. He glances to the right to see Mark arriving with his axe.

Mark: "Move! Move!"

Lee shoves the walker off of him straight to the back window of the pickup and Mark takes a swing at it, but he was too slow since the walker's head lowers a split second before he could hit it and ends up hitting the window. The axe breaks the glass and gets wedged on the spot it came into contact with.

Mark: "Shit, it's stuck!"

The walker was still hungry for some flesh and crawls toward Lee, seeing him its latest prey. Lee pushes it back with his foot to keep it from getting any closer. He glances to the left when he heard Joel hollering and watches him swinging a board he picked up directly at the walker's face. He had hit it so hard that it got forced back against to the back window of the truck again and the board breaks on contact. Lee saw it as an opportunity to escape and tries to get away, but forgets that he was on the back of a pickup and slips off, hitting the ground on his right shoulder. As soon as he looked up, the undead teacher was about to land right on top of him, but Lee swings his hand up on its face in time to keep its hazardous teeth at bay and places his other hand on it. The monster continued snarling and Lee tries pushing it off while jamming his thumbs through its eyes, leaking blood all over his hands. He hears rapid footsteps behind him and looks to see Carley coming with her gun.

Lee: "Shoot it!"

Carley made sure her weapon was locked and loaded before jamming against the walker's head and blows its brains out. It had finally stopped trying to eat Lee and was now just lying right on top of him. Joel grabs the corpse and throws it off of him while Carley bends down to his level and asks,

Carley: "You okay?"

Lee: "Yeah. Thanks."

Joel: "That was way too fucking close."

Lee: "No shit."

Joel reaches his hand out, Lee takes it and gets pulled back up to his feet just as everyone had gathered around at the scene and Larry had already started shouting,

Larry: "Why'd you bring em here in the first place, assholes?!"

Lilly: "Dad, calm down!"

Larry: "You're gonna get us _all_ killed!"

The 14-year-old girl didn't appreciate his attitude towards them and starts shouting at him.

Ellie: "Hey, you can't pin this whole thing on them! How were they supposed to know that this was gonna happen?"

Larry: "It wouldn't have happened at all if they hadn't let em in to begin with!"

Ellie: "Those people would've died out there! They _had_ to help them!"

Larry: "Like hell they did, ya ignorant brat!"

Ellie: "Fuck you, ya old prick!"

Joel got in between them before they could keep going and gently pushes the little girl towards the old pickup.

Joel: "Ellie, what have I told you about you butting heads with Larry?"

Kenny was comforting his wife for what she just went through and his blood instantly boils when he saw Ben approaching and lashes out at him.

Kenny: "Why didn't you tell us he was bitten?!"

Ben: "What?!"

Kenny: "He was bitten and you didn't say a goddamn word!"

Ben: ""But he wasn't bitten! I swear!"

Kenny: "Well your "not-bitten" friend here came back to life and tried to kill my wife!"

Ben: "What?! Wait, y'all don't know?"

Kenny: "What the hell are you talking about?"

The teen boy sighed deeply before he tells them what he had learned about the walkers.

Ben: "It's not the bite that does it!"

They had all now looked at him in confusion, not fully understanding what he meant.

Ben: "You come back no matter how you die. If you don't destroy the brain, that's just what happens. It's gonna happen to _all_ of us."

Their expressions instantly went from confused to shock after what they were just told. The fact of still becoming like one of _them_, even if they do not get bitten by one was indeed horrifying. If what Ben was saying was true, then this would be everyone's future, unless their brain is destroyed, just like the band director that was now lying dead on the pavement.

Lee: "We're all infected? Everyone?"

Ben: "I-I guess so…"

Ellie: "But… how is that even possible? I mean, how could we have all even gotten the thing or whatever the hell it is that turns us into _that_?"

Ben: "I… I don't know. All I know is I've seen people turn who I _know_ who were never bitten."

Joel had thought about that moment when he and Ellie had witnessed Marlene take her life by blowing her own brains out, wondering if maybe she had known about this as well and was now thinking about why she didn't say anything about it. It would also explain how so many of them had appeared so fast in only a few days in the beginning.

Ben: "When I first saw it happen, we were all hiding out in the gym and everybody thought we were finally safe. But, one of the girls, Jenny Pitcher, I think, I guess she couldn't take it. She took some pills, a lot of them… Someone went into the girls' room the next morning and… God."

Nobody said another word after he finished. It had remained silent in the parking lot until Carley shouted,

Carley: "Back off!"

She stands right in front of the wall with her gun drawn at two people that had stumbled to the motel. One of them, named Andrew, was wearing a black sweater with stripes and blue jeans with an empty gas tank in his hand while the other that was slightly shorter, named Danny, had on a blue polo shirt and brown pants. They both raised their hands in surrender and one of them tries to calm things down.

Andy: "Whoa, lady, relax! Me and my brother, we… we just want to know if y'all can help us out."

Carley: "I said back off!"

Lilly "Carley…"

Mark quickly gives Lee his axe back, grabs for his rifle and takes aim at the strangers. Joel and Kenny ushered Ellie, Katjaa and Duck over to the RV with Clementine and grab their weapons; Kenny aims his own rifle at the strangers while Joel cocks his revolver and approaches the wall.

Joel: "Don't even try to run!"

Andy: "Alright, okay, that's fine. We ain't going anywhere."

Lee: "Listen, whoever you people are, we don't want any trouble."

Andy: "Of course, neither do we. I'm Andy St. John, this here's my brother, Dan. We're just out looking for gasoline. Looks like you folks got the motel locked down, which is fine, but, uh, if you could spare any gas, well, we'd be much obliged."

Carley: "Why do you need gas?"

Danny: "Our place is protected by an electric fence. Generators provide the electricity."

Andy: "Our generators run on gas. Look, we own a dairy farm a few miles up the road. If y'all be willing to lower your guns, we can talk about some kind of trade."

Danny: "How are y'all doing on food? We got plenty at the dairy."

The word food had really gotten everybody's attention as their faces perk up. Food was the one thing that they all desperately needed right now. They slowly lower their weapons and looked at each other, wondering whether or not if they should make a trade with these brothers. They remained silent until Lilly spoke up.

Lilly: "Lee, why don't you and Mark check the place out, see if it's legit."

Carley: "I'm going with you. I got your back if anything seems fishy."

The brothers watched and waited for the survivors behind the motor inn's newly built wall to finish talking amongst themselves and when they all turned their attention back to them, Andy asks,

Andy: "So, uh, what are ya'll thinking?"

Lee glanced back at his comrades behind him for a moment before facing the brothers, takes a step forward and he tells them their decision.

Lee: "You've got a deal. We'll bring _some_ gas to your dairy. In exchange, you give us some food to bring back here. We'll see how it goes from there."

The older brother perked up at his words and responds,

Andy: "Sounds fair. Couple of gallons should power one of our generators for a while."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N As you know, since Joel and Ellie added the number of members of the group to 12, I've chosen to add a fifth food ration for Lee to hand out, and I've also decided to let Lee give one of them to Ellie. It wasn't an easy choice for me to make, but it's what I chose to do. Now, let me ask you this; since there are five rations instead of four, would you have given any of them to Joel, Ellie, or both?**


	3. Chapter 3: The St John Dairy

**A/N Lee and the group are now on their way to explore a dairy farm and will learn a thing or two about its history.**** Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 3: The St. John Dairy

The St. John brothers were leading Lee, Carley, Mark and Ben to their dairy farm on a pathway that was a few minutes away from the motel. Andy was now carrying a full gallon of gas in his hand while Lee was carrying another. Mark was walking right in between the brothers to have a conversation with them with Ben following behind him.

Mark: "So, this dairy; you guys really have food?"

Andy: "Sure do. We've lost most of the cattle, but we still have lots of milk, butter and cheese stocked up."

Danny: "And with the vegetables we grow, we got plenty of food."

Lee and Carley were lagging behind them to have a conversation of their own.

Carley: "It's nice to get away from that motel for a while. This Lilly/Kenny thing is starting to get ridiculous. Personally, I'd be happier if you started to take charge more."

Lee: "You think they'd want _me_ for a leader?"

Carley: "Sure. Everybody looks up to you."

Lee: "Well… not everyone thinks I'm so trustworthy."

Carley: "Because of your past? Does anyone else know?"

Lee: "Larry knows."

Carley: "Great, that can't be easy."

Lee: "Clementine knows. She was there when we were talking in the drugstore and asked me about it… I couldn't lie to her."

Carley: "What exactly _did_ happen with the senator?

He lowered his head with his eyes closed for a moment when he thought back in that moment when he had gotten in that fight before everything happened and continued being honest with the journalist.

Lee: "…It was an accident. I mean, I pretty much knew about the affair. Sometimes I wonder if I should talk to the group about it."

Carley: "You don't have to. Whatever happened before things went to hell doesn't matter anymore."

Lee: "Not sure everyone would see it that way."

Carley: "Maybe you're right. Listen, over the years I've reported on some pretty messed up shit. I've seen situations like yours a hundred times; it doesn't have to make you a bad man."

The man was grateful of her support as he looked at her with a smile on his face.

Lee: "I really appreciate that."

Meanwhile, Mark was telling Ben and the brothers how he had been rescued from the Air Force base.

Mark: "I mean, thank God Lee showed up when he did. Right, Lee?"

Andy: "Yeah, why don't you tell us a lil bit more about yourself, Lee."

Lee walks ahead to get in between the brothers while Mark went ahead with Ben right beside him.

Danny: "Where're you from?"

Lee: "I grew up in Macon."

Andy: "Right here in the heart of Georgia, that's what I like to hear! Y'all seem pretty settled in at that motor inn. Who's running things over there?"

It wasn't exactly an easy question to answer. Kenny and Lilly have been arguing for so long, it was difficult to tell who really was in charge nowadays. He thought about how to respond until he made a quick glance at Carley behind him and thought about what she had told him earlier and answers Andy's question.

Lee: "I am. If you guys have any questions, you come to me."

Carley had smiled at his response.

Danny: "How many people you got over there anyway?"

Lee: "Eleven, if you count the kids."

Carley: "You forgot Ben."

Ben: "Me?"

Carley: "That makes it twelve."

Andy: "Well, we'd love to get ya _all_ out to the dairy. Like I said, we've got plenty of food, and quite frankly, we could always use an extra helping hand."

Ben: "In the summers, I used to help out on a goat farm."

Danny: "Yeah, that's great. Everything helps."

Andy: "Momma's been running the dairy for as long as I can remember but now it's-"

But then, he suddenly gets interrupted by a guy that was shouting from the top of his lungs and sounded quite ticked off about something.

Andy: "Shit! Get down!"

They all crouched to the ground and moved carefully and quietly up a hill on the left. They find two guys that were a few feet away from them. They were in the middle of a heated argument with each other with their faces covered. One of them had a shotgun while the other had a crossbow. Mark and Carley drew their weapons and they all talked quietly to avoid being noticed.

Danny: "Fucking bandits."

Lee: "Who?"

Ben: "Those look like the people who raided my camp."

Lee: "Who are they?"

Andy: "Shh, fucking assholes is who they are."

Carley: "There's only two of them."

Danny: "Oh no, there's a lot more."

The argument between these two bandits was becoming tenser as they were shouting right into each other's faces, and they both looked like they were getting ready to take a swing at each other.

Andy: "Don't worry, Danny and I have ya covered if something happens, but let's just wait this out and hope they move on."

Just then, one of them had snapped and kicks the guy in front of him.

Bandit: "FUCK YOU!"

He then blasts him away with his shotgun, killing him instantly. Ben gasps at what he had just witnessed while Mark took aim at the guy, ready to fire in case he starts aiming his weapon in their direction. The hotheaded bandit watched his "friend" fall backwards on the grass, stands over to his body and continues letting out his anger on him by repeatedly shooting his corpse.

Bandit: "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"

Lee and his friends were shocked to see this insane act of rage while the St. John brothers remained oblivious of his actions.

Carley: "Jesus."

The bandit had finally stopped wasting his ammo and then started walking away from the scene.

Bandit: "Asshole…"

Once he was out of sight, Mark lowered his rifle and everyone stands back up from their crouched positions.

Andy: "The world out here has gone to shit. Come on, let's get to the dairy where it's safe."

They all returned to the pathway and were back on track towards their destination. These bandits have definitely proven to be a group of hostile people and Lee had hoped that he and his people wouldn't have to deal with any of them. After a few more minutes of walking, they had all arrived into the countryside, heading towards a two-story house on a hill that was on the other side of a wired fence. On the left of the house was a barn, a gazebo and a crop field all around the property.

Andy: "Here it is. St. John family dairy. Y'all can see how we've kept this place so safe."

Lee had made a quick glance to the right to look at the fence as they continued walking.

Ben: "The fence keeps them out?"

Andy: "You betcha. They fry like bugs in a zapper. We're pushing 4000 volts through that thing with generators and amps."

Carley: "I'm going to assume that's a lot."

They had all stopped as soon as they arrived to the main gate and Andy opens it all the way as Lee examines the whole land.

Lee: "This is a really brilliant set up."

Andy: "Suits us just fine."

Carley: "This place looks untouched! You'd never know the rest of the world is in ruins."

Andy: "It's worth protecting, hence all the juice."

And then, a middle-aged red-haired woman wearing a pink flannel shirt and blue jeans, named Brenda, comes out of the house with a basket in her hand and approaches the group.

Brenda: "I thought I saw y'all with company comin' down the drive."

Andy: "Guys, this is our Momma."

Brenda: "I'm Brenda St. John, and welcome to the St. John Dairy."

Andy: "This here's Lee. He's from Macon."

Brenda: "A couple of our old farmhands were from Macon. They grow em good there."

Danny: "They got a few more friends staying at the old motel."

Brenda: "Oh, my goodness, that place is pretty vulnerable. Have you got someone with survival experience to lead your group?"

Lee: "I've got things under control over there."

Brenda: "Well, I hope you know what you're doing. That place isn't safe like it is here. Now that y'all are here, we'll make sure you're safe and comfortable."

Lee: "Does that offer apply to the rest of us?"

Carley: "We're all incredibly hungry."

Brenda: "These are for y'all. Baked fresh in the morning."

She had presented them with her basket that was filled with recently baked biscuits. There were instantly smiles on their faces and they went wide-eyed at the sight of them.

Carley: "Amazing!"

Danny: "Can't get stuff like that anymore, not without a cow for milk and butter, that's for sure."

Brenda: "That's right. Hopefully, Maybelle will make it through this bout of whatever she's got and will be with us for a good long while."

Lee: "Your cow is sick? What's she-?"

Mark: "We have a vet! We could bring her here! We can help you folks out."

Brenda: "A vet? Oh my, our prayers have been answered!"

Mark: "Maybe our whole _group_ could come… for the day."

Brenda: "Well, how about this, y'all go get your veterinary friend and I'll prepare some dinner, a big feast for all you hungry souls. It'll be nice to have some folks to help out around here again. Danny, why don't you come help me out in the kitchen."

She hands her basket of biscuits over to Carley and heads back into the house with Danny right behind her.

Carley: "Why don't I head back with the food and round everyone up for the trip over here."

Andy: "Might wanna take someone with you. Remember, those roads can be dangerous."

Carley: "I can handle myself."

Mark: "Here, take this."

He takes out his rifle that was strapped on his back and hands it over to Carley.

Mark: "Why don't you go ahead and take Ben along anyway."

She straps his weapon on her back and looks at Lee as she says,

Carley: "Take care of yourself, Lee. See you in a while."

Lee watches her and Ben make their way back to motor inn and hoped that it would be a short and safe trip, and was also hoping they wouldn't run into any of those bandits that were out there. He was really looking forward to having Clementine and the others here to see all of this. Lee had kept watching Carley leaving until Andy had caught his attention when he spoke up again.

Andy: "Mark, Lee, why don't you take a look around. Once ya get settled in, I could use some help securing the perimeter."

Lee: "Is there a problem?"

Andy: "Sometimes, the dead get tangled up in the fence before they fry and end up knocking over a post. It'd be a big help if you can walk the perimeter. You can a lil something about our fence. I'm gonna go top off the generators before they run dry. Come get me when you're ready."

Mark: "You betcha."

Lee hands his gallon of gas over to Andy and he walks off to get to work on one of the generators.

Mark: "This place is _incredible_! It's got food, and that fence- Oh man, that _fence_! If we play our cards right, this might turn out to be a place we can stay. So, how do you wanna play this?"

Lee: "They're offering us food. We should do whatever we can to make these people like us."

Mark: "The way Brenda was talking, I get the feeling like she'd be happy to have us stay."

Lee: "All the more reason for us _not_ to fuck this up. If Andy needs some help securing the perimeter, then that's what we do."

The two of them go through the main gate and Lee closes it behind him. He begins surveying the property around him until he had noticed a swing that was on a tree branch on the right and walks over to it. The only problem with the swing was that the board for the seat was broken and one of the ropes was missing.

Lee: "Too bad the swing's broken. The kids would love to have something like this to entertain themselves with."

Andy noticed Lee checking out the swing and calls out to him.

Andy: "That old swing has been there ever since Dan and I were little. Back in the day, we had some kids come over in field trips from their schools and we'd give all tours around the whole dairy. They used to love that old thing even more than the tour sometimes."

Lee: "Heh, I'll bet. When was the last time it got any use?"

Andy: "Mmh, been quite a while. Don't exactly have a lot of kids visiting anymore."

Lee: "I look forward to the day when kids can just be kids again."

Andy: "Amen to that!"

Lee examines the swing again and decides to fix it before going to secure the perimeter. All it needed was a new board for the seat and some rope to hold it together. Not only would it make it safe for the kids, but it would also show the St. Johns that their group can pull their own weight. He heads over to the other side to find one of the two and takes a closer look at one of the outlets on the fence. It was obvious that these farmers have built these themselves. He looks to the right, notices a board that was placed on the picket fence of the house and approaches it. It would be perfect to use if it wasn't too long by a few inches. He then noticed a saw that lying around beside it and gets an idea.

Lee: "Hmm… Mind if I use one of these boards?"

Andy: "Already making some repairs, huh? I like a guy who takes some initiative. Yeah, go right ahead."

Lee sets up the board, uses the saw to cut it at the right length and was now the right size for the seat. All he needed to do now was find some rope. He walks up to Andy and sees him working on one of the generators he had mentioned before until the farmer noticed him and stands up.

Andy: "Hi."

Lee: "Hi."

Andy: "I'm glad you guys decided to help us out. I noticed back at the motel that you folks are pretty well armed. You've been stockpiling, huh?"

Lee: "Yeah, and if you need some extra people to protect the dairy, you can count on us."

Andy: "Well, hopefully it'll never come to that, but thanks."

Lee: "We can't be the first people you've invited up to the dairy, right?"

Andy: "Well, no, we've made similar deals with other folks. Trading for gas and food, but ultimately they moved on, looking for the people they lost contact with."

Lee: "An electric fence is enough to keep out walkers?"

Andy: "Walkers? Is that what ya call em? Ha, that's good. The old one wouldn't have, but, Mac, he was our foreman, he figured out how to amp it up with the generators. We used to sit out here some nights and watch the sons o' bitches sizzle and pop when they got too close. Closest thing to entertainment these days, I guess."

Lee: "And these generators are enough to power the whole dairy?"

Andy: "We got lots, and we gotta keep trading for fuel as much as we can, but they all work together to do the trick. Like us."

Lee: "Right. I'll be right back. I'm gonna get to know the place for a minute."

Andy: "Okay, well, we've gotta secure the perimeter, so don't take too long."

There was still unfinished business to do here; he needed to find some rope for the swing. He approaches the gate of the picket fence, opens it and walks up towards the porch of the house. He notices a pot full of fresh herbs growing on the left window and dinner was beginning to look even more promising. He opens the screen door and knocks on the front door. Brenda eventually opens it and greets the man with a smile.

Brenda: "Well, hi there, Lee. What can I do for you, sweetie?"

Lee: "Can I help you with anything around the house?"

Brenda: "I think with Danny's help, I've got things pretty well squared away in the kitchen, but feel free to check with Andy. He's got a lot of weight on his shoulders these days, so I'm sure he'd love any help he can get."

Lee: "I will. When will dinner be ready?"

Brenda: "It'll be a while still, but it'll be worth it, trust me."

Lee: "Okay. So, how many rooms does this house have?"

Brenda: "Rooms? Why do you ask?"

Lee: "It looks custom built."

Brenda: "Nice of you to notice. My husband put a lot of work into this old house."

Lee: "Well, he did a fantastic job."

Brenda: "I believe in making a house a home."

Lee: "You know, your family's done an amazing job keeping this place up."

Brenda: "Well now aren't you sweet. Thank you, Lee. The boys and I have tried to adapt as best as we can, but we still keep some of our old routines to help remind us of better times."

Lee: "What happened to the rest of your staff?"

Brenda: "Oh, we've had our share of tragedy here… just like everyone else, I'm sure. Some of our staff took off to find their families soon as they heard the news. The few that stuck around, well… we lost most of em the first night those… things showed up here. It was… a tough night."

Lee: "I understand. So, how's your family been holding up since… you know?

Brenda: "Oh, my boys have been my saving grace. They both left their jobs and came home to help out after the attacks started happening. I think it was hardest on Andy. Dan was more of a mama's boy, but don't tell him I said that, ha, ha."

Lee: "All right, well, if anything comes up that I can help with, feel free to let me know."

Brenda: "Well, Lee, I sure appreciate it."

Lee: "No problem."

Brenda closes the front door, Lee closes the screen door and sees a few awards and ribbons hanging on the left right above a bench.

Lee: "This dairy won a lot of ribbons in its day, huh?"

Andy was standing a couple feet away behind him and speaks up.

Andy: "This place was my daddy's life. It meant everything to him. You know, when he first bought this place, it was a single story house."

Lee: "Is that right?"

Andy: "After us kids was born, he insisted on adding a second floor, said they had to have room for as many babies as they could have. Heh, Momma? She was done after Dan."

Lee: "My folks stopped after two as well."

Andy: "Then one day, the world changed. Now, this place is all we have left of Daddy. That's why we take such good care of this place, and why we wanna share this place with good folks like yourselves."

Lee nods at him, Andy walk back through the gate and Lee spots a shoe bucket at the end of the porch. He opens it up, finds the rope he was looking for to use for the swing and takes it. He heads back down the hill, goes through the gate and returns to the swing to get to work.

Lee: "All right, this shouldn't be too tough…"

Andy continued working on the generator until he noticed Lee putting the old swing back together.

Andy: "Well, I'll be damned…"

Once Lee had finished, he wipes the sweat from his forehead with his jacket sleeve and hears Andy express his gratitude.

Andy: "Momma's gonna be thrilled to see that old swing all fixed up!"

Lee: "Hopefully our kids will like it, too."

Brenda comes back outside the house and calls out,

Brenda: "Did you say something, Darlin'?"

And then, she notices Lee standing in front of the swing that was all fixed up.

Brenda: "Oh, my goodness! Did you do that?"

Lee: "Just trying to help out a bit around here."

Brenda: "You know, I used to push Andy and his brother out here on that swing every night when they were kids. Seems like such a long time ago now."

Brenda goes back inside the house while Lee comments under his breath.

Lee: "Yeah… it does."

Now that the swing was fixed, he was free to go secure the perimeter with Mark. Speaking of which, he was standing by the main gate, surveying the whole place around him until he notices Lee approaching him and speaks lowly.

Mark: "So, what's your read on Andy so far? Think they'd be open to letting us stay?"

Lee: "Getting that perimeter secured is gonna help us a lot."

Mark: "We'll be getting in good _and_ making this place safer for us."

Lee: "Exactly. Also, Andy tells me they've had guests stay here before. That tells me they're at least open to the idea."

Mark: "That's fantastic."

Lee: "You ready to head out?"

Mark: "Ready when you are."

Lee: "All right, let's go."

The two of walk over to Andy and say,

Lee: "Hey, Andy."

Andy: "Yeah?"

Lee: "Mark and I can help you with that perimeter now."

Andy: "Oh, good. The fence will stop a walker in about three or four seconds, but gets overloaded if we leave the husks out there."

Lee: "You know, Mark and I can clear the fence ourselves if you wanna stay here and finish up with the generators."

Andy: "Well, that'd be great. I'll turn off the northwest section and if you guys could strip them off and look for any weak points, well, that'd be a big help."

Lee: "Sounds easy enough."

Andy: "Stay attentive. You never know."

The two nod at him and proceed towards a smaller gate that was near the swing to head out and secure the perimeter.

* * *

Joel was now sitting on top of the old RV with Kenny's rifle in his hand to endure his shift of keeping watch. Even though he found it to be boring on that lawn chair sometimes, he knew how important this task was, as Lilly strictly relied to everyone more than once; to make sure no walkers or anymore strangers come near their camp. Lilly was now assisting her father by doing some maintenance on the wooden wall. Earlier, Clementine had asked Ellie to do some drawing with her and was now sitting beside her, watching her friend make a picture of her own with a pencil. The older girl had added in the finishing touches to the sketch drawing of a gnome and sets the pencil down.

Ellie: "All right, it's done."

Clementine: "Wow, nice work, Ellie. It looks really good."

Ellie: "Thanks, Clem. You know, back at my place, I had this art book that was filled with all kinds of pictures of gnomes. I always thought that they looked super cute. Not fairies, though. They creep me out."

Clementine: "Why?"

Ellie: "I… I don't know, they just do. Not as much as the walkers, but, you know."

Clementine: "Yeah. Do you think what those people said about their farm is true?"

Ellie: "About it being safe and having plenty of food? Yeah, I think so."

Clementine: "That's good. I hope that Lee will be lucky out there and be back soon."

Ellie: "I'm sure he will. He's got Carley and Mark to back him up if something happens. Ben too."

Clementine nods at her and stares at the drawings in front of her with a blank expression on her face and Ellie could tell that something was bothering her.

Ellie: "Are you all right, Clementine?"

Clementine: "Yeah, it's just, well… I was just starting to think about how things were before all of this. When my Mom and Dad were still here, when I used to go to school, and… you know."

Ellie: "Yeah, I hear you. You know, you really don't look the same without your hat. Are you sure you don't know where it ended up?"

Clementine: "No. I just remember taking it off for a minute to wipe the dirt off it while I was working on my drawings outside the wall a couple days ago and I went to go get a crayon that I forgot. When I came back, it just wasn't there anymore."

Ellie remembered that day; Lee, Mark and Kenny had gone outside the wall to do some work there and Clementine went with them. She eventually went out there herself to find her friend without her cap. While she was trying to think of how and where her hat would've disappeared to, she was interrupted by Duck's sudden appearance behind them.

Duck: "Hey, Clementine. Hey, Ellie."

Clementine: "Hi, Duck."

Ellie: "Hey."

Duck: "What's that you're working on? Is that an elf?"

Ellie: "Heh, no, it's a gnome. You were close though."

Duck: "Okay. Hey Ellie, can I borrow Savage Starlight again?"

Ellie: "Sure, knock yourself out. Just be sure to bring it back when you're done."

The boy had already snatched the comic book from her lawn chair and ran off to read it on the back of the old pickup across the parking lot while the two girls continued their conversation. Kenny was working on the engine of the RV with the few tools that he had to work with. Katjaa had finished washing off David's blood on her hands and approaches her husband.

Katjaa: "Kenny, sweetheart, why don't you take a break from that old thing? You've hardly gotten any rest since this morning."

Kenny: "Kat, I'm really close to getting this thing to work, hon. I can feel it. As soon as I do, the three of us can leave place for good and we can head straight out to the Atlantic. I even offered Lee a ride with us, and if he's up for it, he and Clementine are gonna tag along with us."

She was about to respond to that until Joel spots two familiar faces approaching the motel and informs everyone.

Joel: "They're coming back."

He climbs down the ladder of the RV and the group gathers around the gates, eager to hear what the news is about the dairy farm. Larry pulls one of the dumpsters open with ease and then pushes it back once Carley and Ben were inside. Clementine was eager to see Lee back again, but was now disappointed to see that he hadn't returned yet.

Clementine: "Where's Lee?"

Carley: "He's still checking out the dairy farm with Mark. Don't worry, Clementine, he'll be fine."

Clementine: "Okay…"

Joel: "So, how's this dairy farm looking?"

Carley: "It's fantastic; they've got the whole place locked down tight with their electric fence, an entire field of crops, and there's not a single walker to be found there."

Larry: "Hmph, I'll believe it when I see."

Lilly: "Dad…"

And then, Joel's nose caught a whiff of something good and noticed the basket in Carley's hand.

Joel: "What's in that basket you got there?"

Carley: "See for yourself."

The journalist holds out the biscuit in her hand and she gets the same reaction she made from everyone when she first saw them.

Duck: "Biscuits? Wow!"

Kenny: "Well, I'll be damned."

Ellie: "Aw man, they all look so good."

Joel: "Yeah… God, it's been a long while since I've smelled anything this good."

Ben: "W-well, we, uh, ate some on the way here and they taste really good, too."

Lilly: "Wait, you both ate some? What the hell were you two thinking?"

Carley: "Hey, we're all hungry here, and we _did_ save the rest for all of you. Now, come on, at least try one."

Duck: "Mom, Dad, can I? Can I?"

Katjaa: "Of course you can, Ducky, but only one."

Duck: "Yes!"

The boy eagerly grabs a biscuit and takes a bite out of it. The rest of the group takes a biscuit of their own and eats them.

Clementine: "Mmm, wow, they really do taste good."

Ellie: "Yeah. Best thing I've ever tasted in months."

Larry: "Hm, you know, this dairy farm may not be such a bad idea after all."

Lilly: "Maybe…"

Kenny: "So, they planning on giving us any more of these?"

Carley: "Yeah, they're offering to let us stay there for the night and invited us all to dinner. That is, if Katjaa is willing to help them out by nursing their sick cow."

Katjaa: "Of course. If it'll help us all get a good meal, then I'd be happy to help. Let me go grab my medical kit."

Kenny: "All right then. So, are we all gonna head on out or what?"

Lilly: "Hold on, we can't just leave the motel unsupervised. What if more people show up here and take over the motor inn when we worked so hard to make it safe?"

Kenny sighs in annoyance with Lilly once again not agreeing with him, but he knew that she had a point, and Carley speaks up again.

Carley: "All right, look, how about Ben and I stay here and keep an eye on the place while you all go have some dinner?"

Ben: "R-really?"

Carley: "It _is_ fair since we ate some of the biscuits before we got here."

Ben: "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Kenny: "There, you see? Problem solved. So, how exactly do we get to the dairy from here?"

Carley: "Just head on down that way until you find a pathway into the forest on the left. For there, you can all just keep following the road all the way to the farm."

Lilly: "…All right. Let's grab everything we need and get moving."

Joel nods, hands Kenny his rifle and walks over to the desk where he left his revolver and backpack. He makes sure his weapon was fully loaded before placing it behind his waistband and straps on his backpack. He grabs a smaller pack on the side of the desk that belonged to Ellie and hands it over to her. Duck comes over with her comic book and also hands it to her. She puts her comic inside her pack and straps it on her back. She heads over to the gate to leave with everyone, but stops in front of Carley with Clementine beside her and asks,

Ellie: "You sure you don't want any dinner with us?"

Carley: "As much as I would like to, someone's gotta keep the motel secured."

Ellie: "Yeah, good point."

Clementine: "Maybe we bring some leftovers for you and Ben when we get back."

Carley: "Good idea."

Joel: "Ellie, Clementine. You two coming?"

Ellie: "Yeah, on our way."

The two little girls meet up with the group outside the gates. Joel pulls the dumpster to close it behind him and catches up with the people as they all travel to the St. John dairy where, hopefully, they can all be safe and soon have a satisfying meal in their stomachs.

* * *

Lee and Mark were walking around the northwest side of the dairy farm property, removing any walkers they find on the fence and making sure that there's no opening for them to get through.

Mark: "You think we're doing enough to get the St. Johns to like us?"

Lee: "Well, we don't wanna seem over anxious. Showing them we can handle this fence is gonna go a long way."

Mark: "I can't wait until everyone's out here… Everyone besides Larry."

Lee: "Yeah, well… that guy's a piece of shit anyway."

Mark: "Relax. You and Ellie aren't making things better riling him up."

Not long after, they spot a dead walker leaning on the fence crow pecking on its head until it flies away.

Mark: "There's one."

When they got close to it, they noticed an arrow that was stuck on its neck and the whole body was burnt to a crisp. This fence of theirs is seriously effective.

Mark: "Eugh… who do you think he was?"

Lee: "Maybe a farmhand. I don't know. I hope he wasn't like this long before the fence finished him off."

Mark: "Yeah."

Lee takes a closer look at the arrow to see how deep it was wedged in.

Lee: "Maybe the St. John boys were using this guy for target practice?"

Mark: "Eh, poor guy."

Lee: "Can't tell what got him first, the arrow or the fence. Either way, I hope he was already dead."

He grabs the arrow, yanks it two times to get it out from the neck and tosses it away.

Lee: "Disgusting…"

Mark: "Andy said when this fence is working, the walkers go up like a tree branch on a power line. If those lights are out, that means the fence is off, right?"

Lee: "It'd better be."

Lee takes out his fireaxe and uses it to push the fried walker off the fence.

Lee: "Come on, I'm sure there's still a few more."

They continue walking around the perimeter and Mark keeps the conversation going.

Mark: "Once this fence is patched up, this place will be a fortress! God, can you imagine not having to worry about the walkers anymore?"

Lee: "Yeah, well, it's useless without gas. We might need food, but the St. Johns need gas, too."

Mark: "Not many drivers these days, Lee. We could scrounge up a year's worth of gas, easy. So, what's your take on the brothers? They seem to have this place tied down pretty well."

Lee: "What do you mean by that?"

Mark: "I don't know. They seem decent enough. I just want you to know that I've got your back if anything goes down, that's all."

Lee: "Thanks. There's another one."

Mark: "I see it."

They find another burnt walker leaning against the wired fence. Lee uses his axe push it off, but its hands were stuck on the wires. He would have to cut both of them off to completely remove the walker from the fence. He uses the axe to chop one wrist off and then chops off the other. Both of the burnt hands were still stuck to the wire, and would remain that way.

Mark: "You never get used to the smell, do you?"

Lee: "Heh, heh, nope."

They resume walking again and hear their stomachs grumbling. Hopefully, the dinner that Brenda is preparing will put a stop to it.

Mark: "Christ, I can't stop thinking about dinner. Would've been nice to get some of those rations. I get hungry too, you know."

Lee: "We'll go ask for more to eat after this is done."

Mark: "All right, I can suck it up."

And then, they spot two fence posts knocked down on the opposite side of the perimeter and a walker that was caught in the wires in between them.

Mark: "Come on, I think I see where they're getting in. This one must've knocked it over trying to get through. He's tangled up in there pretty good. Come on; help me get this thing back in place so we can get Mr. Crispy off of there."

Lee: "I think we'd get better leverage from the other side."

Mark: "Good idea."

Mark hops over the wires while Lee just simply stepped over them. They each grab a fence post and push them both back into place. But suddenly, the light bulbs on the fence came back on and the walker was getting electrocuted.

Mark: "Holy fuck! What just happened?"

Lee: "The fences are on!"

Mark: "Why the hell would he turn the fence on? He knows we're out here."

But then, Mark was suddenly shot on the right shoulder with an arrow, causing him to yelp in pain and clutch his shoulder. Lee looks out in the forest to see where the arrow came from and sees multiple shadows from a distance and more arrows fly right by, missing his head by inches. It was the bandits that he had seen on the way to the dairy earlier.

Bandit: "I told you what would happen, you son of a bitch!"

Lee: "What the-?"

He swerves his to the right to dodge an arrow and spots a gate at the end of the fence. If they could get to that, they would be out of danger.

Lee: "Get to the gate!"

They both tried to make a run for it, but they were blocked by several arrows that nearly missed them. There was no way they could get to the gate without some cover. Lee then noticed a tractor behind them and ducks to avoid another arrow.

Lee: "Get down!"

Bandit: "You assholes!"

Mark: "Jesus!"

They ran towards the tractor and were now using it as cover from the arrows. Lee peeks over the tractor to get another look at the bandits ambushing them and hears one of them ranting.

Bandit: "We had an agreement! Now, you're fucked!"

He ducks back down in time to avoid another arrow.

Mark: "Who the fuck is that?!"

Lee: "No idea!"

Mark: "Fuck! Now what?!"

Lee: "With the fence on, that gate is our only way out!"

The gate was a few feet away from them and the bandits were relentless with their weapons. They were both literally caught between a rock and a hard place. The only way Lee and Mark were ever going to reach the gate was by getting the tractor close enough for them to get a straight shot through it. With that in mind, Lee tries pushing the old thing to get it moving, but it wouldn't budge. He moves to look behind the tractor and sees its plows jammed in the dirt. He reaches out for the lever and pulls on it to get the plows out. Another arrow almost hits Lee's arm but hits one of the plows instead. He moves back to the side of the tractor and yells at the bandits.

Lee: "Leave us the fuck alone!"

Bandit: "You fucked with us! Now, we're gonna take what we want!"

He then checked the front of the tractor and sees a chock blocking the front tire. He reaches out, tosses it out of the way and the tractor was finally moving.

Lee: "Come on, if we can reach the gate, we can get through this fence and back to the house."

Mark: "Aghh, shit, that hurts!"

Bandit: "They're on the move!"

They were moving along side with the tractor, heading slowly towards the gate and were safe from being shot by any arrows. It was going smoothly until the front wheels ran into something and the vehicle came to an abrupt halt.

Mark: "What happened?"

Lee: "Shit, it's one of the dead we pushed out earlier. I'm gonna have to move it."

He was about to reach out for it, but flinches back when his hand nearly gets struck by an arrow and he shouts to the bandits again.

Lee: "We don't know you!"

Bandit: "Did you really think you could fuck with us?!"

He tries reaching out again and manages to get a grip on the walker's wrist. He pulls it away from the front tires and tractor was moving again.

Mark: "Ngh, damn!"

Bandit: "Where do you think you're going?!"

They were getting closer and closer to the gate until the tractor stops in front of another walker.

Mark: "Another one? How many of those things did we push down?"

Lee: "I don't know!"

Another arrow had almost hit Lee's head, but ends up hitting the tractor instead and Lee shouts at the bandits once more.

Lee: "Stop shooting at us!"

Bandits: "Where's our food, you assholes?! Give us the food!"

Lee grabs the walker's wrist and attempts to pull it out, but then it unexpectedly snags on his wrist and was trying to bite it.

Lee: "Shit! Ah, ah, ahh!"

He kicks the walker's head to make it let go, but it didn't. When he kicks it again, it pulls on his wrist and was about to take a bite out of it, but Lee pulls back stronger with all his might until he actually pulls off half of its body. He was shocked at what just happened at first, but then looked fiercely at the walker, hurls it behind him and the tractor started rolling again.

Mark: "You okay?"

Lee: "Yeah… barely."

Mark: "Come on, the gate's right there!"

They were on the move again, but Lee was aware that the walker behind him was crawling after them. There was no time for him to stop so he can pull out his axe and chop its head. He had to keep moving or he would wind up like Mark, or worse. Eventually, one of the flying arrows hits the walker right in the back of the head and unintentionally did them both a favor. The tractor crashes into a water tank and they now have a straight shot to the gate.

Bandit: "They're getting away!"

Lee: "Let's get out of here!"

Lee runs to the gate with Mark right beside him; he kicks it open and they both run as fast as they could away from the hostile people.

Bandit: "You lucky sons of bitches! Go ahead and run! We ain't going nowhere!"

They kept running to get back to the house and were now cutting through the crop field.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N Sorry for not updating for a while. I've just been emotionally stressed out about things lately. I'll be sure to keep writing at every chance I get whenever I have enough time to myself. And also, I promise there will be some changes to the plot.  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Reconnaissance

**A/N After escaping the fury of the bandits, the survivors regroup to the dairy farm and prepare to head out to investigate. Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 4: Reconnaissance

Lee had emerged from the crop field with Mark right beside him, still grasping his wounded shoulder. They both run around a boulder and were about reach the gate to the house. Andy sees someone coming from the gazebo and squints to see who it was until he realizes that it was Lee and Mark and runs over to them. When he approaches them, they were both breathing heavily and he asks,

Andy: "Lee, what's wrong?"

Lee: "It was a goddamn ambush out there!"

Danny came up to them and saw the arrow in Mark's shoulder.

Danny: "Holy shit! Are- are you okay?"

Andy: "Bandits? Here, on our property?!"

Brenda comes outside of the house to see what the commotion was all about and gasps,

Brenda: "Oh, my lord! What happened to you, sweetheart?"

Andy: "It was those bastards in the woods, Momma."

Mark: "Yeah, I'll be all right once it's out, but… goddamn it hurts."

Just then, the motor inn group had arrived at the dairy and Kenny calls out to them.

Kenny: "Hey, y'all."

When they came through the main gate, they all noticed the condition Mark was in and start reacting the same way the St. Johns had.

Katjaa: "Mark! Oh, my God! What happened?"

Lee: "He got shot with an arrow."

Ellie: "Holy crap, Mark! Are you all right?"

Mark: "Yeah, I'm fine. I should just… pull it out."

Brenda: "Oh no, honey, come on, Brenda's got you. Come on inside now. We'll have you all sorted out."

Mark follows Brenda inside the house and Katjaa tags along to help treat his wound. Joel approaches Lee and asks,

Joel: "Lee, what the hell's going on here?"

Lee: "We ran into some people on the way up here. Bandits, I guess. I think it was them that attacked us."

Andy: "They gave us a lot of problems in the beginning and killed a bunch of our farmhands. We were able to get em to stop by making a deal."

Kenny: "You _knew_ about these people?"

Danny: "Food for protection. Not like we had much of a choice, but they did stop hassling us."

Larry: "God dammit! Carley said this place was locked down tight!"

Lee: "So much for your _deal_."

Andy: "Those shitheads broke the agreement! Look, I'm sorry, Lee. If I had inklin' that they were gonna give you guys trouble, we would've gone out there with you."

Joel had given him a skeptical look before he continued.

Andy: "Listen, we may have had an agreement with these people, but we will _not_ stand for this shit!"

Danny: "Ain't no way we're gonna let those sons o' bitches get away with this!"

Joel: "So, you know where to find them then?"

Danny: "They're hard to pin down, but I think I know where at least _one_ of their camps are. When you're ready to go scope out that bandit camp, come find us."

Andy and Danny left the group by themselves and Lilly tells her thoughts about this dairy.

Lilly: "Bandits? Are you serious? This place isn't safe, we can't stay here."

Kenny: "Not safe? This place is a hell of a lot safe than that motor inn! I think all of us and our guns can handle a couple of punks with bows and arrows! What we need to do is find a way to get our whole group out here to stay. Take this place over if we have to."

Larry: "Whoa, cool your jets there, Rambo. These are nice people. Let's not do anything to get us throw out before we eat."

Ellie had scoffed and folded her arms against her chest.

Ellie: "Easier said than done for _you_."

Joel: "Knock it off. Lee, what're you thinking?"

Lee: "I think I'm gonna head out and help Danny deal with these bandits. You guys should try to make friends with Andy and Brenda while I'm gone."

Larry: "Well, that's easy. I've got charm coming outta my ass."

Lilly: "Yeah, that's… real charming, Dad."

Joel: "…Anyways, if you're going, I'm coming with you."

Ellie: "But, Joel, we just got here. Don't you wanna check this place out?"

Joel: "Later. Right now, I wanna know exactly what we're up against out there."

Ellie: "All right."

Lee had glanced around when he noticed that two members of the group where missing and asks,

Lee: "Where's Ben and Carley?"

Lilly: "Since Carley and Ben ate some of the food on the way back to get us, she volunteered to stay behind and watch the motor inn until we get back."

He nods to show his acknowledgement, but some part of him was feeling disappointed. He was actually looking forward to seeing the journalist again. Andy comes back and points at the old swing.

Andy: "Hey, kids. Look what Lee got working for ya."

Clementine: "A swing! I love swings, just like at my tree house! Thanks, Lee, you're the best!"

Duck: "Yeah!"

Both Clementine and Duck ran excitedly towards the swing and Duck was the first to hop on the wooden seat.

Andy: "No wonder you're the leader of your group."

Andy goes up to the porch with his brother to continue their private discussion. Kenny heads over to the swing to start pushing his son on it while Lilly and Larry make their way over to the gazebo. Joel takes a step closer to Lee, places his hands on hips and raises an eyebrow when he asks,

Joel: "What was _that_ all about just now?"

Lee: "Uh, well, I… look, it's just-"

Joel: "You know what? Forget it. Just let me know when you're ready to head out."

He walks to the picket fence gate and leans on it with his arms crossed and Ellie stands beside him. Lee walks over to the swing and watches Kenny pushing Duck on it. They both look like they were having the time of their lives. He also sees Clementine watching them while standing beside a stump and bends down to her level.

Lee: "Hey, Clem. You like the swing?"

Clementine: "Yeah, it's fun. Thanks for fixing it."

Lee: "You're welcome."

Clementine: "Will you push me on it?"

Lee: "Sure, happy to push you on the swing"

Kenny gave Duck another push before Lee rose back up and asks,

Lee: "Mind if Clementine takes a turn?"

Kenny: "All right, Duck, let Clementine have a try for a bit."

Duck: "Okay."

The boy hops off the seat and goes to sit down on the stomp with his father standing beside him. Lee stands behind the swing while Clementine positions herself on it. He grabs the ropes with a smile on his face and gently starts pushing the swing. Joel and Ellie were watching them from the gate and it was obvious to both of them that they were having a good time.

Ellie: "They look very happy."

Joel: "Yeah, they do… So, this dairy farm everything that you hoped that it would be?"

Ellie: "Well, I admit it does have some ups and downs here and there. But hey, you can't deny the view. It actually reminds me a lot of when we were at Hershel's farm. Remember?"

Joel: "Yeah, I remember."

Ellie: "It's too bad that we didn't get to stay there for long. Think maybe things are still okay back there?"

Joel: "I don't know. For having to live in all this for three months, I'd say anything is possible."

Ellie: "Right… So, you think these bandits, or whoever the hell these guys are will come after the motor inn?"

Joel: "Maybe. But if they ever do, they're gonna wish they never did. That's why we have to head out there to find that camp of theirs."

Ellie: "Yeah, I know. I'm just starting to get a lil worried about Carley and Ben. What if they get ambushed there like Lee and Mark, and we're not there to bail em out?"

Joel: "I think they'll be all right. If these bandits were going to attack the motor inn, they would've done it by now. Besides, even if they do, Carley might be able to hold em off with that deadeye of hers. And Ben… well, I'm not even sure what that boy has to offer."

Ellie: "Maybe we'll find out once we get back?"

Joel: "We'll see."

Meanwhile, Lee was having a conversation with his little girl.

Lee: "How're you holding up, Clementine?"

Clementine: "I'm okay, I guess. Are you okay?"

Lee: "Yeah, I'm just a little worried about Mark."

Clementine: "Is Mark going to be okay?"

Lee: "He got lucky out there. Could've been a lot worse."

Clementine: "Are you and Joel going to find the people who hurt Mark?"

Lee: "Well, we have to make sure they don't hurt anyone else."

Clementine: "Be careful. I want you to stay lucky, too."

Lee: "Ever since I met you I've had good luck. So, don't worry, we're safe here."

Clementine: "As long as the bad people don't get me too, right?"

Lee: "I won't let what happened to Mark happen to you."

Clementine: "Promise?"

Lee: "I promise. So, what do you think of the dairy?"

Clementine: "It's pretty. It reminds me of how things used to look before."

Lee: "Yeah, it does."

Clementine: "Do you think things will ever get back to how they were?"

He had thought about that for a moment. The possibility of society returning to how it was before the dead even started coming back to life, everyone going back to their original lives and not worrying if they'll be able to live to see another day… it would be a long shot, but he chooses to believe in that possibility.

Lee: "Yeah. I'm not sure when, but, hopefully, things have got to get back to normal."

Clementine: "That's good. I hope it's soon."

Lee: "Yeah, me too."

He grabs the ropes to stop the swing.

Lee: "All right, Clem, that's enough for now."

Clementine: "Okay. Thanks for pushing me."

Lee: "Of course."

The little girl gets off the swing and walks back over to the stump.

Lee: "It's all yours."

Duck: "Yeah!"

Kenny: "Okay, Duck, don't pop a gasket."

Duck hops on the swing again and Lee steps aside for Kenny to start pushing him on it.

Lee: "Hey."

Kenny: "Hey, Lee. How's it going with the St. Johns?"

Lee: "Good. I was talking to Andy earlier and offered our group's assistance on the dairy. I don't think they have much to protect them besides the fence, so he seemed pretty appreciative."

Kenny: "Great! Sounds like they're starting to accept us."

Lee: "Definitely. How are you holding up?"

Kenny: "I hope they feed us, Lee. Soon. On the way over here, I was getting dizzy, hands shaking, cold sweats, I thought I was gonna pass out."

Lee: "They got food here."

Kenny: "Yeah, but I'm not just talking about one meal, ya know?"

Lee: "Yeah, I do. How about everybody else? Did they get here okay?"

Kenny: "Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Duck didn't look so good on the walk over to this place. Even Joel over there was starting to look a little worn out for a moment."

Lee: "Well, if everything works out, maybe we can all have an easier life here."

Kenny: "I hope your right. These kids deserve a better life than starving to death at some crappy motel."

Lee glances to the left and saw that Joel looked like he was doing just fine at the moment. He also notices Lilly at the gazebo from where he was standing.

Lee: "I guess Lilly isn't too thrilled about here."

Kenny: "I could give two shits about what Lilly wants. Duck and Katjaa need food and I'm not about to sit around that motor inn and watch em go hungry. You're with me on this, right?"

Lee: "Yeah, of course. Lilly's judgment is clouded, but you've got a pretty clear head about these things."

Kenny: "Damn straight. Now, don't wait too long to help scope out that bandit camp. Sounds like they're pretty amped up about it. This might be a good way to earn their trust."

Lee: "Good idea."

Duck: "Come on, Dad, higher! Push me higher!"

Kenny: "All right, Duck. Hold on tight now."

Kenny pulls the ropes back further, grabs the seat and gives it a strong push to make the swing go higher and his boy started laughing with joy. Lee had already went off to go check in on Lilly but looked behind him for a moment while he was walking and smiled when he saw how content they were. He goes through a wooden gate and walks toward the gazebo. Lilly was looking downwards with her hands placed on the railing. When she looked up to see her father sitting a bench, she notices him glaring and guessed that Lee coming their way. She had guessed right when she heard him walking on the wooden steps and approaching them.

Lilly: "Lee, oh, my God, I'm so glad you two didn't get killed out there. Do you think Mark will be okay?"

Lee: "Wish I knew, but I think he's in good hands now."

Lilly: "Yeah? It's not too bad?"

Larry: "He'll be fine. I've seen guys go through worse."

Lee: "How do you feel about leaving the motor inn?"

Larry: "It's a welcome change of scenery."

Lilly: "…I don't know. If we had just stayed where we were, then Mark wouldn't have ended up with an arrow in his shoulder."

There was something else he wanted to talk to Lilly about, but he didn't to say it in front of Larry.

Lee: "Hey, uh, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

Lilly: "Okay…"

She follows him away from the gazebo and he speaks freely.

Lee: "It's been three months and your dad still treats me like I'm some kind of asshole."

Lilly: "Yeah, well, don't expect that to change. That's just how he is."

Lee: "So, _he's_ the asshole."

Lilly: "Look, my dad can be an ass sometimes, I know that, but he's not a bad guy. He just… he's got a lot of pain. He's been through so much. And lost… pretty much everything. And it's hardened him, ya know? Yeah, he's bitter and hateful, but that's all just to protect himself. And me. All he's got left in the world is me, and that goes both ways. So, yeah, he's probably gonna keep treating you like crap, but that's just because he still has one thing left to care about. So don't judge him, and don't judge me for sticking by him. He's my dad, and I love him."

She walks back over to the gazebo and Lee eventually did the same after deciding in his mind that he maybe should try to act better around Larry. This is a chance for everyone to start relaxing and feel safe. However, something in the back of Lee's mind was beginning to make him have doubts about that.

Lee: "Think our little arrangement with these folks was a good idea?"

Larry: "Little late to be asking that now, don't cha think?"

Lilly: "Dad's right. Let's just wait for dinner, and if Mark is feeling up to it, we leave. I don't wanna push our luck here."

Larry: "Now, now, let's not be hasty."

Lee: "I take it you and Kenny didn't exactly make up on the way here?"

Lilly: "I tried to see things from his point of view; having a wife and kid and everything, but gambling with your family's life is pretty stupid if you ask me."

Lee rolls his eyes and shrugs his shoulders.

Lilly: "Lee, I know you and Kenny are friends, but you recognize that he's not the right person to lead this group, don't you?"

Lee: "I… I don't know, Lilly. I mean, both you _and_ Kenny have been important in keeping the group together, but it would be a nice change of pace if you two would start getting along once in a while."

Lilly: "Yeah, well, if _I_ don't keep us alive, there won't _be_ a group to keep together."

Lee: "…Anyway, I'm gonna go and head out now."

Larry: "Don't bother hurrying back while you're out there."

Lee didn't bother showing any acknowledgement of that rude comment and was already walking away. He walks through the wooden gate again and makes his way over to Joel to let him know that he's ready. As he was getting closer, he hears a whistling sound coming from Ellie for a few seconds and the two of them were having their own discussion.

Ellie: "How was that? Good?"

Joel: "Yeah. You seem to be already getting the hang of it."

Lee: "What's going on over here?"

Ellie: "Oh, hey, Lee. Check it out, I finally figured out how to whistle."

She starts whistling the same tune that she had whistled to Joel earlier.

Ellie: "Pretty cool, huh?"

Lee: "Yeah, it is. Hey, uh, are you feeling all right, Joel?"

Joel: "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you asking me that?"

Lee: "Kenny told me earlier that you weren't exactly looking so hot on the way here."

Joel: "He did, huh?"

Lee: "Yeah. You sure you're up for heading out there?"

Joel: "I said that I was doing fine, so yeah, I'm sure."

Lee: "…Okay then. Anyway, what do you two think about this dairy farm?"

Ellie: "It's pretty awesome with what they've done with the place. Right, Joel?"

Joel: "It is something out here all right. But I ain't buying what Andy was saying before about him going out there with you and Mark."

Lee: "What're you saying? You think that maybe he was lying?"

Joel: "I don't know yet. All I know is that we shouldn't start lowering our guards just yet and be on the lookout for anything that may or may not seem right."

Lee: "Yeah, good point. Come on, let's go get Danny so we can go find that bandit camp."

Joel: "Right."

He opens the picket fence gate and was about to step through, but stops when he turns to Ellie and says,

Joel: "Ellie, while I'm gone, I want you to do exactly what you're told here and don't be wondering off on your own."

Ellie: "Not a problem."

The St. John brothers were having their own private conversation on the porch. They were talking amongst themselves until they notice Lee and his friend coming towards them.

Joel: "Fellas."

Andy: "Howdy. Lee, how're you feeling? Look, I'm really am sorry you almost got killed out there. We should've told you how dangerous it was."

Lee: "No shit."

Danny: "You saw what they did to your buddy. Nobody's safe until we start to fight back."

Joel: "And how exactly do you figure that we do that?"

Danny: "The three of us should go out and do some recon, and then we'll all mount up for some revenge."

Andy: "Hell yeah."

Lee: "Who the fuck are these people in the woods?"

Andy: "We don't know. We think some of them used to work at the big box up the way."

Danny: "Save-lots."

Andy: "Yeah. Anyway, they're nutty as all hell and get mad when they're hungry."

Danny: "So, are you two ready to head out there and find their camp?"

Lee: "Yeah, we gotta work together on this. Those bandits are a danger to everybody. Let's do it."

Andy: "I'll stay here and hold down the fort."

Danny: "Remember; we're just doing reconnaissance for now. No use in getting ourselves killed."

The younger brother had three hunting rifles placed beside him on the porch. He hands one to Lee and another to Joel. The third rifle that he had picked up was custom-made just for him to use. The three men walk down the hill and approach the main gate as Ellie sees them off and waves at them.

Ellie: "Happy hunting, boys."

Danny had smirked at her little comment while Clementine had notice them leaving and runs over to see them off as well.

Clementine: "Are you going now?"

Lee: "Yeah. We'll be back soon, Clementine. You stay close to the dairy where it's safe until then."

Clementine: "I will. Please be lucky."

Lee: "Don't worry, we will."

The two little girls stand by the gate and watch the men walk down the path into the forest and eventually disappeared in the trees and bushes.

* * *

Danny had been leading Lee and Joel through the forest to the place he knew where the bandit camp would be at. Twenty minutes have passed and the trip through the forest had been quiet; no one had spoken ever since they left the farm. Lee was walking ahead while Joel and Danny were right behind him. The silence had been broken by Joel when he asks,

Joel: "How much further till we reach the camp?"

Danny: "Shouldn't be far now. We're getting close."

The sound of a twig snapping made them stop walking. They look around to see if there was anyone else around, an animal, or even walkers. There was nothing around them except trees, bushes, sticks and leaves. As they resume walking, Joel begins asking another question.

Joel: "So, Danny, about these bandits…"

Danny: "What about em?"

Joel: "How long have you and your family been dealing with them?"

Danny: "About nearly two months now. When they first found us, all they did was raid our property for food and started killing every farmhand that we had left on hand. Eventually, we got tired of them taking our things and thought it'd be easier to just give em what they want."

Lee: "And you all made a deal with them just like that?"

Danny: "It took some convincing, but we've manage to reach an agreement with the terms they've set; we give them enough to eat every other day and they don't raise hell on us."

Joel: "Why is it that they just did raise hell on Lee and Mark then?"

Danny: "That's what I'd like to find out, too. Seeing as how they're the ones who broke the deal first."

Joel: "All right. So, is there anything else that you can tell us about these bandits?"

Danny: "Well, they've got a hell of a lot more people with them than y'all do in your group. They've pretty much made this whole forest their territory and are armed to the teeth."

Before he could continue relaying more info about the bandits, he was suddenly interrupted by Lee when he had abruptly stopped walking and raises his hand.

Lee: "Wait, hold up."

Danny: "What? You find something?"

Lee: "Down. Get down."

The two follow Lee to a bush and notice that there were a few walkers roaming around in front of them, trying to find something to satisfy their hunger.

Lee: "Walkers."

Joel: "Damn it. These things always seem to have a tendency of being around when we don't want em to be."

Danny: "We ain't out here to screw around with a couple of dead folk. We're only here to do some recon."

Joel: "Yeah, we know that."

Lee: "Which way do we reach the camp from here?"

Danny: "Straight ahead."

They both knew he meant that it was right past the dead folk right in front of them.

Joel: "Are you fucking serious?"

Danny: "Don't get your shorts in a twist just yet. We can just as easily go around em. No hassle, no problem."

Joel turned to face Lee and they both silently agreed with Danny's suggestion after a moment passed. They take another look at the walkers and continued whispering.

Lee: "All right, I don't think that they know that we're here yet. As long as we all stay low and keep quiet, we can keep it that way."

Danny: "Then we'd better get moving. There's plenty of cover we can use down this way. Stay right behind me and don't be laggin' behind."

He had started moving to the left while staying low. Joel was right behind him and Lee was bringing up the rear. As they were sneaking around the walkers, a squirrel had climbed down and scurried off in the opposite direction. The noise it had made had gotten the walkers attention and they began stumbling after the small critter. When Lee had glanced to the right, he sees what the walkers were going after, but then it suddenly gets struck with an arrow when it was eating something and was instantly killed.

Lee: "What the-?"

Joel had heard his hushed exclamation and turned around.

Joel: "What is it now?"

Lee: "Look."

He points at the dead animal and Joel could tell that somebody had a hand in that. As walkers began surrounding the poor critter to feast on it, they spot a shadow emerging quickly from a bush that was a few feet away from them and moving to the right.

Joel: "Did you see that?"

Lee: "Yeah, I did. Think maybe that was one of the bandits?"

Joel: "I don't know. Danny, what do you think?… Danny?"

That was when they had noticed that Danny was no longer with them since they were both distracted by all the activity they were watching.

Joel: "Where the hell did he go?"

Lee: "He must've gone ahead without noticing we weren't still following him."

Joel: "Shit."

Lee takes another look around their surroundings to see if the stranger was anywhere to be seen, but only saw the walkers that were still feeding. He then came to the conclusion that whoever was out there that had shot the squirrel had wanted to have it for food, but ran off at the sight walkers that were about to be beat him or her to it.

Lee: "Looks like we're still in the clear. We should keep moving while staying in cover and catch up with Danny."

Joel: "I agree. Let's go."

They were both on the move again while trying to move as quietly as they could without making a sound or stepping out from cover. After a while of moving alongside the bushes, they hear another twig snapping. They had looked around, but found nothing and continued on. But then, a walker had unexpectedly emerged from behind a tree on the left and lungs at Joel. The only thing that got in between them was the rifle that he was lent with and was now using it to keep the walker from biting on his neck. Lee lends him a hand by kicking it off of him and pins it down on the grass with his shoe. Not willing to risk the noise just yet, he bangs it on the head with the butt of his rifle. It took three hard hits to the head before he was able to destroy the brain and Joel had managed to catch his breath while muttering,

Joel: "I hate these things."

Lee: "You good?"

Joel: "It's nothing."

They both hear rustling coming from another bush and raise their rifles at it until Danny eventually emerged from the bush and raised his hand.

Danny: "Hey, hold on. Don't shoot. It's just me."

He approaches them as they lowered their guns and ignored the glares that formed on their faces.

Danny: "Where have you two been?"

Joel: "We could ask you the exact same thing."

Danny: "I thought you were both right behind me, looking for the camp. I told you not to be lagging behind, didn't I?"

The two men glanced at each other before Lee answered his question.

Lee: "We saw someone earlier."

Danny: "You did? Who?"

Joel: "No clue. We were thinking it was a bandit, but we didn't get a good enough look to see when he ran off."

Danny: "Oh. Well, they don't usually travel alone… Anyway, I found that camp we were looking for. It's right over here. You two still up for scoping the place out?"

They both nod at him and proceed towards the camp. The first thing they had noticed was a red and gray tent that was slightly open, and a tarp that was hanging over some boxes. Lee makes hand gestures to Joel and Danny to sneak up on the camp. The three of them crouch down and move towards some bushes. They use the scopes on their rifles to get a better look at the camp, but there were too many leaves blocking their view to see anything. So they move in closer to some trees and were able to get a better view.

Danny: "Either of you see anything?"

They had inspected the place with their scopes and couldn't find any bandits.

Lee: "Looks empty."

Joel: "There might someone resting inside that tent, though."

Danny: "Y'all watch my back now. I'm gonna check out the tent."

Lee and Joel aim their weapons at the tent while Danny slowly approached it. He moves cautiously towards the tent, and once he got close enough, he smirks and opens the tent with his arm. There were no occupants inside it.

Danny: "Clear."

They all lower their weapons and Joel had come to a conclusion about this area.

Joel: "This camp looks too small for a whole group of people to be occupying this place."

Lee: "That's what I was thinking."

Joel: "Danny, how about you keep an eye out in case anyone comes around here while Lee and I check to see if there's anything here."

Danny: "Fine by me. There's probably some shit around here they stole from us."

Danny walks to the front of the camp to keep watch while Lee and Joel began exploring the camp. The first thing they had looked at was a kettle that was hanging underneath a fireplace. Lee had bent down and lifts the lid up to see what was cooking, but was disappointed to find that there wasn't any food in it and puts the lid back on.

Lee: "Nothing but water."

Joel: "Damn."

They both head on over to the full of boxes that had the tarp hanging over them and begin searching them. Danny hears them rummaging the boxes and looks over his shoulder.

Danny: "What's in the boxes?"

Joel: "A lot of these are from Save-Lots."

Danny: "The first few days, they told folks to gather to the Save-Lots by the interstate. Anything in them worth taking?"

Joel: "Well, other than bunches of empty cans, not really."

Lee: "This all looks too much stuff for just one person."

Danny: "Trust me, these selfish bastards don't stop taking. Probably just to remind us that it's theirs."

Lee uses his rifle to push one box aside and finds one with the St. John Dairy logo on it.

Lee: "There's a box from the dairy here."

Danny narrowed his eyes for only a quick second before he responds,

Danny: "Probably the food that we've been giving them. Fuckers cross the line."

Lee pushes the box to the side to see there was anything else behind it, but finds nothing. He goes to inspect two more boxes that were on a smaller table while Joel continued to look through the ones beneath the tarp. A wooden crate on one side of the small table didn't have anything but an empty bottle inside, and the cardboard box on the other only had a few dirty stains on the inside. There was something behind the box that caught his eye and pushes it to the side to find a camcorder. Joel had noticed him picking up something and started fiddling with it.

Joel: "Did you find something?"

Lee: "Yeah, a video camera."

Apparently, it had captured Danny's attention when he walked towards him to see for himself.

Danny: "Let me see that."

Lee had pushed multiple buttons on it to make it work, but nothing happened.

Lee: "Battery's dead."

Danny: "Oh, good. W-what else they got over here? Let's see if we can find anything useful and then get a move on."

Lee had put the camcorder in his pocket while Danny walks over to the other side of the table Joel was at and observed the way they were handling the weapons they were borrowing.

Danny: "I see you handle them guns I lent y'all pretty well. Are you both hunters?"

Joel: "No. We just learned a thing or two about how to handle em, is all."

Danny: "Right, as well as you should. Always an important thing to learn when surviving out here."

That comment made Joel think back of the conversation he had with Ellie the day before, but casts it out from his mind and checks in on Lee by the tent. He bends down to see him looking at a photo that showed a woman with her daughter and sets it back down next to dirty stuffed rabbit on a child-sized sleeping back and was aware of the man behind him.

Lee: "Look's like there's a kid mixed up in this."

Joel: "Yeah. I'm beginning to think that this camp doesn't even belong to any of these bandits."

Lee: "Me too."

He examines the whole tent until he noticed something underneath the adult-sized sleeping bag and moves the blanket to find a ballcap just laying there. When he picks it up and turns it around, he and Joel both went wide-eyed when they saw the letter D on it and realized who it belongs to.

Lee: "…The hell?"

Joel: "Oh boy."

Suddenly, a woman had arrived to the camp with her long big hair brushed all the way back and was wearing a Save-Lots vest with her name written on it, which was Jolene. She was holding a loaded crossbow in her hands and had it pointed at the men that were invading her property.

Jolene: "Don't you fucking move!"

The farmer had noticed this woman and aims his rifle at her.

Danny: "Shit!"

Joel quickly rose back up and aims his rifle at her while Lee got out the tent and aims with his own.

Jolene: "Put your guns down! I ain't going back! You tell em Jolene ain't going back!"

Joel: "Who the fuck are you? Have you been following us?"

She replies with a creepy laughter that didn't exactly answer his question, but he guessed that she was the stranger he and Lee saw earlier judging by her weapon. It was also obvious that she appeared to be mentally unstable.

Danny: "Now, you listen here! We had a deal; no shooting unless we gave you food! What the fuck happened?"

Jolene: "You had a deal with them, I ain't them… Oh, I know you! I know what you are, and I know what you do."

Danny: "You don't know me!"

Jolene: "Steal my shit! Steal everything from me!"

Danny: "We had a deal! You people broke it first!"

Lee: "We're looking for the people who attacked the diary, and shot our friend."

Jolene: "I don't know where they are, but they ain't here, so get the fuck outta my camp!"

Danny: "She's lying, boys."

Jolene: "Now, maybe you didn't hear me last time when I asked you sweet. Put your damn guns down!"

Joel: "You're not exactly in the position to be making threats, lady."

Jolene: "You think I won't kill you? I'm gonna take this here crossbow and put a nice sharp arrow through your eyeball, and into your goddamn brain."

Joel: "Not likely."

Jolene: "You're not men, you're monsters. All men are monsters. Take what they want, and then destroy it all. Take a can of beans, take a little girl… it's all the fucking same to you!"

Lee: "Where did you get this hat?"

Jolene: "The little girl."

That was when he had confirmed that this lady had been lurking around the motel without anyone in the group noticing and was the reason Clementine had lost her hat.

Lee: "You _stole_ it from her!"

Jolene: "So what if I did? You stole them both from _me_!"

Danny had given them both a look and Joel responses to it by shaking his head.

Lee: "What the hell are you talking about?"

Jolene: "Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about, mister! Them little girls that y'all got with you; they should be up here with me where it's safe. They ain't got no business being around the likes of you all down there!"

Joel: "Lady, the little girls that you're referring to are none of your goddamn business."

Jolene: "So, that's the way you wanna play it, huh? One little girl wasn't enough for you fuckers?!"

Joel: "Beg your pardon?"

Jolene: "You know what? I changed my mind. I'm putting this arrow right through your _balls_! Yeah, right through. String em up on that tree. Then I'm-a head down to that farm and shoot every goddamn person I see!"

Lee: "Look, just stop this bullshit already, all right? Don't be stupid; there's three of us and only one of you. No matter what you try to do, one of us is gonna kill you."

Jolene: "Like you could kill me. _They_ couldn't kill me, they tried. Killing everywhere. Take all the dead folks you want, we'll make more!"

That last comment had been directed towards Danny and he had a threatening look in his eyes as he glared at the woman.

Joel: "Danny, do you have any idea what she's saying?"

Jolene: "Go on, tell em, boy! Tell em what you got in mind for-"

She had been interrupted by a bullet that had been fired to her forehead, thanks to Danny pulling the trigger on her. Lee and Joel had both watched the woman fall face first on the grass and looked at Danny in disbelief.

Joel: "Goddamn it, Danny! What the fuck was that?!"

Lee: "You straight up murdered that woman!"

Danny: "Hardly. She had a crossbow pointed at our foreheads."

Joel: "That doesn't mean that you had to kill her. Sure, she was crazy, but you could've just taken her down."

Danny: "Yeah, I could've."

The farmer then casually approached Jolene's dead body and picks up her crossbow just as the familiar sound of moaning and snarling were making their way towards the camp. The noise from the gunfire had lured in the walkers from before.

Lee: "Shit, we gotta go."

Joel: "I hope you know your way back to the farm."

Danny: "Of course I do. Now, come on."

The three men run to the right and were cutting past some trees and bushes. While they were running, Joel had glanced back to see the dead folk surrounding Jolene's dead body and was considering everything she had said. He couldn't tell if maybe she really was just talking crazy, or if maybe she was actually trying to tell them something. Something that she knew and they didn't.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Chapter 5: Suspicions

**A/N With the recon in the woods done and over with and dinner time fast approaching, Lee and Joel do some inspections inside the barn and discover a gruesome secret. Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 5: Suspicions

Joel, Lee and Danny had managed to get away from the walkers and were now walking through the main gate of the dairy. Clouds had filled up the sky and the sun had just set for the day. Danny had taken the guns back while he smirked.

Danny: "Man, that was a hell of a ride, huh?"

Lee: "Jesus, Danny."

Danny: "What? You ain't getting soft on em, are ya? Not after what they did to your friend?"

Joel had given him a look and was about to say something, but was interrupted by Brenda as she was sitting on the steps of the porch and called out to them.

Brenda: "You're back! What happened?"

Danny: "Handled it, Momma."

He walks away with the rifles in his possession. Lee walks through the picket fence gate to go speak to Brenda and Joel followed him up the hill.

Lee: "Everything still okay around here?"

Brenda: "Yup, nothing's changed here. Thanks to our fence, everything's just fine."

Lee: "All right, then."

He had noticed a gloomy look in her eyes and shows his concern.

Lee: "Hey, uh, are you feeling okay?"

Brenda: "Oh, I'm fine. It's just, well… I don't think this is what Terry would've wanted."

Lee: "Terry?"

Brenda: "My husband. Miss him every day."

And then, they hear the sound of Kenny and Lilly arguing again and were able catch the end of their little spat.

Lilly: "Then screw it for everybody then, why don't you?!"

Kenny: "Oh, calm down, princess. I'll do it myself."

He walks away while Lilly glared at him and returned to the gazebo. Lee had shaken his head with disappointment written on his face and lets out an exasperated sigh. Even when they're on other people's property, they just can't seem to stop going at each other's throats.

Lee: "I'll go check it out…"

Lee walks down the hill and proceeds towards the gazebo, leaving Joel alone with Brenda on the patio.

Brenda: "Seems like there's a lot of tension between you folks, ain't there?"

Joel: "Yeah, that's one way to put it. Those two don't really see eye-to-eye with each other much about how things should be handled in our group."

Brenda: "Well, it's probably just the hunger talking. Now, what was it that your name was again?"

Joel: "It's Joel, ma'am."

Brenda: "All right, Joel. Listen, I'm real sorry that you've all seen more violence than I thought y'all would in your short time here, but y'all are safe here. Don't worry."

Joel: "I understand. So, how's Mark holding up? Is he doing okay in there?"

Brenda: "Sure is. He is by far the best patient I've ever had. Oh, my boys get so much as a scratch and start hollering. He could definitely teach em a thing or two about being tough."

Joel: "That's good and all, but I'd still like to go check and see for myself."

Brenda: "You're gonna have to trust me on this, Joel. I've helped stitch my share of wounds. I know what I'm talking about."

Joel: "All right, I hear you."

He looks over his shoulder to look around the property behind him and couldn't find where Ellie, Clementine and Duck were at.

Joel: "Hey, uh, any chance you know where the kids ran off to?"

Brenda: "Oh, they all went inside the barn with Maybelle. If you're planning on heading in there, be sure to thank Katjaa again for me. That woman is a life saver. And don't you worry; dinner will be ready real soon now, so just hang tight for a lil bit longer."

Joel: "Yes, ma'am."

He walks down the hill, goes through the gate and sees Danny sitting on the stomp. He narrows his eyes as he approaches the young farmer that was still holding his custom-made rifle and shot his head up when he notices the man next to him.

Danny: "Hello."

Joel: "Hi."

Danny: "Glad I got to use her today."

Joel: "Excuse me?"

Danny: "My girl here."

He raises an eyebrow when he saw how Danny was actually caressing the rifle in his hands.

Joel: "You, ah, seem to have taken a liking to that gun."

Danny: "What's not to like?"

Joel: "Uh, well- I don't know, it's just a gun."

Danny: "That's where you're wrong. This is Charlotte. She's as faithful as a starving hound when you got a bone in your pocket."

That was when he had noticed the "Charlotte" nameplate on the weapon and it was obvious that this guy had seriously become disturbingly attached to it. He changes the subject to make their conversation less disturbing.

Joel: "You folks are pretty isolated out here in these parts."

Danny: "Hard to find."

Joel: "You don't get any visitors anymore?"

Danny: "Not as much as we used to these days. Bandits, of course. Used to get these school kids on tours back before the dead time."

Joel: "Is that right?"

Danny: "Yes, sir. Although, that swing over there acted as the main attraction for them most of the time."

Joel: "Right. You know, I find it a little hard to believe that you all still manage to keep this place running with just one cow."

Danny: "Used to have more. They get hungry too, or sick. Got your doctor friend here now, though."

Joel: "You folks probably trade for lots of fuel just to keep all these generators running, right?"

Danny: "People get hungry, and a few loaves of bread fetch a high price. Y'all are lucky that you're on this side of the deal now."

Joel then looks to the left, sees Lee walking next to the wooden gate and could see it in his face that he has something to tell him. Probably something that Lilly had told him.

Joel: "I'll, uh, let you go on about your business."

Danny: "Sure thing. See you at supper. It'll be a good one…"

He had said that last sentence under his breath, but Joel had heard what he said when he already started walking away. He goes through the gate and hears what Lee has to say.

Lee: "Well, I talked to Lilly."

Joel: "And?"

Lee: "Kenny thinks the St. Johns may be hiding something inside the barn. Not sure what it is exactly, but he thinks we should look and see what it is."

Joel: "And I'm guessing Lilly didn't agree to that."

Lee: "Exactly."

Joel eyes the barn and starts to think that whatever is inside it might be able to explain the suspicions he's had about the St. Johns ever since he set foot on their property.

Joel: "Well, we should have a look inside anyway. Just to be sure."

Lee: "I guess…"

Joel proceeds to the barn door and slides it open with Lee following him inside.

Ellie: "Hey there."

Those were the first words they heard as soon as they walked inside and find Ellie petting the cow's head. Duck was sitting Indian-style right beside it with Clementine standing next to Katjaa, who was caring for Maybelle and Andy was sitting on a stool. Once Ellie looks to see who had come in, she stops petting Maybelle to greet the two men. Clementine and Duck do the same, and they acknowledge them.

Ellie: "Hey, Clem, you wanna pet her, too?"

The little girl had shyly looked at Lee to see if he approves.

Lee: "It's okay, go ahead."

She then takes a step closer, reaches out and starts petting Maybelle's body. It was not how she expected it to feel.

Clementine: "Whoa… Katjaa says Maybelle could have a baby tonight."

Katjaa: "We'll see, Clementine."

Lee notices an odd looking block and approaches it to bend down next to it.

Lee: "What's this thing?"

Duck: "Daddy says it's called a salt lick."

Clementine: "Yeah, but don't lick it. It's gross."

He rises back and raises his eyebrow at her while crossing his arms.

Lee: "Did you lick it?"

She gives him an innocent yet guilty look when she answered.

Clementine: "…I don't know."

He lets out a chuckle while shaking his head a little in amusement.

Joel: "So, have we, uh, missed anything while we were away?"

Duck: "No, not really… Mh, it smells funny in here."

Clementine: "…Like manure! Right, Lee?"

Lee: "Yeah, that's right."

Duck: "What's 'manure'?"

Clementine: "Doo-dee."

The two of them started giggling a little, finding humor in their little discussion.

Katjaa: "Kids."

They both stopped at that moment and Lee remembered he was still carrying something that belongs to the little girl.

Lee: "Here, Clementine."

Katjaa smiles when she sees him taking out the ballcap and hands it over to Clementine.

Clementine: "My hat! You found it!"

She excitedly places it back on her head, right where it belongs.

Clementine: "I knew you'd find it! You said you would!"

Lee: "Listen, did you… give your hat to anyone?"

Clementine: "No."

Lee: "Did you see any strangers around the motor inn who might've taken it?"

Clementine: "No. Why?"

Lee: "It's probably nothing. Just let me know if you ever see anything like that."

Clementine: "Okay, I will. Hey, Lee, do you think you'll ever have kids?"

He was silent for a brief moment before he answered her question.

Lee: "I don't know. I haven't thought about having kids in a long time…"

Clementine: "Well, thanks for finding my hat."

Lee: "You're welcome, Clem."

Clementine: "Do you wanna pet the cow with me?"

Lee: "Nah, but you go on ahead."

She listens to him and Lee starts a conversation with Andy.

Lee: "Hey there, Andy."

Andy: "Hey."

Lee: "How's the cow?"

Andy: "Well, better now we got Doc on the case."

Katjaa smiles at his comment.

Lee: "You know, we this woman up in the woods. She seemed to know your brother."

Andy: "Uh, yeah, he, uh… he probably talks a little more than he oughta."

That answer wasn't good enough for Joel, but he decides to go along with it for now. Their stomachs were still aching with hunger.

Lee: "Uh, when do you think, uh, we might eat?"

Andy: "Hungry huh? Heh, don't worry, Momma's cooking up some good grub."

The kids had smiled at those words. Dinner was just around the corner and they could hardly wait to fill their stomachs with something more delicious than a basketful of homemade biscuits. Ellie reminds herself of what she wanted to talk to Joel about and stands up from the floor.

Ellie: "Hey, uh, Joel?"

Joel: "Yeah?"

Ellie: "Can I talk to you about something real quick?"

Joel: "All right…"

The man follows the 14-year-old to the back of the barn where they could talk privately.

Joel: "So, what's on your mind?"

Ellie: "It's about the St. Johns and their dairy. I'm starting to get a feeling about this place, and I'm not talking about the good kind. They've been acting weird the whole time you guys went looking for the bandits."

Joel: "Weird how, exactly?"

Ellie: "Pretty weird. There's something that they're not telling us weird. I've been trying to get inside the house just so that I can check in on Mark and see how he was doing, but Brenda keeps saying that she's taking good care of him and won't even let me anywhere inside the house."

Joel then narrowed his eyes and glances outside the barn. Brenda had just done the same thing to him just a moment ago and that made him raise his suspicious about these dairy farmers.

Ellie: "I even tried to get Andy to talk her into letting me in, but he kept saying that he'll be just fine and to 'let Momma do her thing'. And, also…"

She checks to make sure Andy wasn't paying any attention to them before continuing.

Ellie: "Remember what you said before about keeping a lookout for anything that may or may not seem right?"

Joel: "Right…"

Ellie: "Well, come look at what I found."

She leads him over to a stall, opens it and reveals a wheelbarrow that was filled with a bunch of clothes covered in dirt and blood. Lee comes over to see what they were looking at and remained silent while examining the unusual pile and covers his nose from the foul smell they were giving off.

Ellie: "I don't know about you, but this does not look normal to me. Even for a dairy farm."

Joel: "No, it doesn't… All right, look, just go on back to Maybelle for now and wait until dinner's ready."

Ellie: "Okay."

As she starts walking away, Joel regains her attention when he says,

Joel: "Hey. You did a good job. I want you to know that."

Ellie nods her head at him to show her appreciation and returns to petting Maybelle with Duck and Clementine. Joel shuts the stall so that Andy wouldn't suspect them of being nosy and notices Lee staring at a lock that was on the double doors beside him and takes a look at it as well.

Kenny: "Y'all found it too, huh?"

They both turned to see Kenny approaching them from behind.

Kenny: "Guys, they're hiding something, behind this door. I got a quick look; they've got boxes of stuff, and something metal and sharp."

Lee: "Don't get paranoid."

Kenny: "It's my _job_ to be paranoid, Lee. I've got my whole family on this farm right now. How about you two? You're both still looking out for them girls, right?"

Joel: "Yeah, of course we are. You know that. Where are you going with this?"

Kenny: "That guy with Katjaa, what's-his-name, he locked this thing up real _tight_ the second we came in. I definitely heard a noise back there."

Joel: "What noise?"

Kenny: "My point is we gotta know for sure! So, go find me a hammer or something and I'll have this thing off in a second. Y'all back me up in case them farmers come running here."

Lee: "Hold on, man, think this through. You smash the lock and get a look inside, and then what if it turns out that you're wrong, huh? You've just fucked up the only chance you had to get a good meal inside that family you're trying to protect. Use your head, Kenny."

Kenny: "All right, professor, what'd you have in mind?"

Lee: "Let me have a look at what we're dealing with first."

Lee starts inspecting the lock to see if there was a way to get it off the door without completely breaking it.

Kenny: "Hey, Lee. You know how to pick a lock, right?"

Lee: "No! Why would you say that?"

Kenny: "Well, you're… you know… urban?"

Lee: "Oh, you are _not_ saying what I think you're saying!"

Kenny: "Jesus, man, I'm from Florida. Crazy shit just comes outta my mouth sometimes."

Joel: "Yeah and I'm from Texas. Your point being?"

Kenny: "All right, you know what? Forget I just said anything. Sorry."

Joel pinches the bridge of his nose while Lee shakes his head and goes back to inspecting the lock. It looked like it could easily be opened with a key, but it was most likely with Andy or Brenda, so there was no point in looking for it. It also appeared to be pretty sturdy, so attempting to bust it off might also be out of the question. And then, he looks at the assembly of the lock.

Lee: "Hmm… I think I might have an idea."

Joel: "Yeah?"

Lee: "Yeah. See those screws? Well, instead of busting the lock, we can just take off the assembly, have a peek inside, and then put it all back together before anyone even notices. It'll be like nothing even happened."

Kenny: "All right, sounds like you got a plan. I'll hang around and keep an eye on that guy with the cow."

Joel: "You mean Andy?"

Kenny: "Shit, I thought he was Danny. Whatever."

Andy: "Can I help you boys find something?"

They were caught snooping at the back of the barn by Andy, but Lee quickly comes up with an excuse.

Lee: "Just checking out the barn here. Never been to a dairy from before."

Andy: "Well, just don't roam around without me or Danny. The farm can be a dangerous place… You know, the bandits and all. Sorry about your friend."

Lee had furrowed his eyebrows, Kenny remained neutral and Joel looked away from him.

Andy: "Hey, uh, do me a favor and don't fuck around with that door. It's just- you know, Momma gets nervous."

Katjaa: "Andrew, I need your help again."

Andy: "No problem, right away, Doc."

The older brother returns to Maybelle to lend Katjaa a hand while Kenny shook his head and moves to lean against a stall, leaving Lee and Joel by the locked double doors.

Joel: "We're not gonna be able to do anything with this door as long as Andy's here."

Lee: "Yeah. Any ideas on how we could distract him?"

Joel: "I don't know. We should look for something outside the barn."

They both proceed outside the barn and close the door behind them. The moment they set foot back outside, they both find Larry and Brenda having their own little private chat on the patio, both of them laughing a little bit about something Larry said earlier.

Larry: "So, how does a woman like yourself run this whole place?"

Brenda: "Oh, I manage just fine. Plus, I have my boys to help out. I couldn't do it without em."

It was rare sight for both of them to see.

Lee: "Huh. You know, this is the first time that I've actually seen Larry act so… I don't know, civil."

Joel: "Yeah. Anyway, let's see if there's anything out here we can use to get Andy to come outside for a while."

They both look around the property for anything that might work until Joel sets his sights on something.

Joel: "Hey, I bet we can use that generator."

Lee was quick to follow his lead.

Lee: "Yeah, Andy works hard to keep it running so the fences stay on, so we might be able to use it to our advantage."

They both go through the wooden gate and Lee kneels down to the generator that was keeping the electric fence on. Just simply turning it off wasn't gonna be enough. He would have to do something more assertive. But he didn't have the right tool for that.

Lee: "Hm, guess I'm gonna need a screwdriver for this. Hey, Joel, see if you can find one around here for me, would ya?"

Joel: "Yeah, sure."

He notices a toolbox that was left on top of some boards and makes his way over to it. Once he opens it up, he finds it filled with plenty of small objects and loose junk. The only thing useful he could find inside it was a multi-tool. It was bound to contain a screwdriver Lee needed. After making sure no one was watching, he makes off with the multi-tool and hands it over to Lee.

Joel: "Here, try this."

Lee: "Hm, a multi-tool. This'll work just fine."

He pulls a screwdriver he needed from the multi-tool and uses it to loosen the screws on the access panel and opens it up.

Lee: "There we go."

He looks inside the panel and finds a belt spinning amongst a set of gears.

Lee: "Looks like that belt's driving the, uh… whatchamacallit. Hmm…"

He pushes a button to shut off the generator and uses the multi-tool once more to pry the belt out from the gears and puts it in his pocket.

Lee: "There, that should buy us time."

Lee shuts the panel close and follows Joel over to the main gate just as Andy had open the barn door when he didn't hear the sound of the generator running anymore. Not knowing what had really happened, he notices the two men standing casually by the main gate and approaches the generator.

Andy: "Fucking Danny. Where'd he find this piece of shit?"

He finds the problem once he opened up the access panel.

Andy: "Augh, fucking thing threw a belt! Damn it to all the… Rgh, son of a… frak! Ugh, this'll take forever…"

Lee and Joel then slip pass the frustrated Andy through the wooden gate and go back inside the barn. Lee tries to remain casual when he asks,

Lee: "How do you like that cow, Clem?"

Clementine: "She's pretty."

He nods and heads over to the locked double doors with Joel beside him. Kenny follows after them and asks,

Kenny: "We good now?"

Joel: "Yeah. Andy's gonna be busy for a while."

Lee: "We also picked up something that could help us with the lock."

Kenny: "All right, nothing to stop us now."

He had spoken too soon; the dinner bell started ringing. Everyone knew what that means.

Lee: "You were saying?"

Kenny: "Aw, fuck me."

Duck: "Mom, Dad, dinner time! It's dinner time!"

Katjaa: "Okay, honey. Let's get dad."

Clementine: "Lee? What're you doing?"

Lee: "Um…"

The 10-year-old boy ran over to the men at the back of the barn.

Duck: "Dad! Daaad! Come on, let's eeaaat!"

Katjaa: "Kenny, come along, honey."

Ellie: "Joel, aren't you coming?"

The three men whisper among themselves.

Joel: "Try to buy us some time."

Katjaa: "Kenny, come on, don't make the children wait."

Kenny: "I'll make an excuse for y'all. Get that thing off!"

Kenny walks outside the barn with Katjaa and the kids while Lee went to work on the lock and Joel kept his eye on the front door. After taking off the screws with the multi-tool, the door was finally unlocked.

Lee: "There, it's off."

They each grab a handle of the doors and Joel raises his hand at him.

Joel: "Five seconds. We look inside for only five seconds and then we lock it back up."

Lee: "Sounds good."

They pull the doors open, but nothing could prepare either one of them for what they find inside.

Joel: "What the hell?"

There was blood everywhere in the room; on the floor, the walls, the tables, even the sharp tools that were lying around. It all looked so gruesome, it would make a queasy man throw up at the very sight of it. But what really caught their eyes what a set of bear traps that were lined up on the wall above a bloody table.

Andy: "Boys, didn't you hear the bell?"

They turned around to find Andy standing at the a few feet away from them with a creepy smile on his face.

Andy: "Dinner time."

Lee: "Andy, what the hell is all this? Why is there so much blood in this room?!"

Andy: "Look, we have food here, but Danny and I still gotta do a lot of hunting to keep everyone fed. When we catch something in the woods, we skin it and dress it back there. Momma doesn't like us to make a mess in the house. So, you see? Nothing to worry about."

Lee casually nods at him and makes his way outside with Joel right beside him. Andy starts following them once they were outside and the two of them whisper to each other.

Lee: "Do you believe any of that?"

Joel: "Not even for a second. Something is really not right here, Lee."

Lee: "Can't argue on that."

They walk through the wooden gate and pass by the generator they sabotaged.

Lee: "Think maybe we oughta tell the others what we found?"

Joel: "Tell them what? That we found out that their barn has a back room with blood all over it? Brenda and Danny would just tell them what Andy told us and think we've gone crazy. We need concrete proof that'll tell them otherwise before we start saying anything."

They go through the picket fence gate and walk up the hill to the house.

Joel: "I've got a pretty good idea of what they've got serving for dinner, and it ain't something that any of us should be eating."

Lee: "Shit. So, what do we do?"

Joel: "I'm thinking, I'm thinking."

Their hushed conversation had come to an end when they reached the front door. Andy had opened it for them and allowed them to step inside just as Lilly had stepped out from the bathroom in the hall. They notice a bookcase blocking the way to the back of the house and scratch marks on the floor beside it.

Andy: "Excuse the mess. We had to block the back door after a walker got upstairs."

He closes a closet door and gets a look from the two men.

Andy: "Don't worry, that was a while ago and they ain't been back inside since."

They both spot a revolver in the back of his waistband as he walks into the dining room. He takes a seat between the little girls on the dining table along with the rest of the people.

Brenda: "Everybody sit down and I'll go get the meal. Ooh, this is a delight."

Kenny: "I could eat a horse."

Lee and Joel were standing by the doorway to see that everyone was here and accounted for on the dining table… almost everyone.

Joel: "Where's Mark?"

Brenda: "Now, don't you worry about him. I already brought some food up. You just let him rest."

Joel had given Lee a look and he does the same. Neither of them was quick to believe her words.

Lee: "Mind if I wash my hands first?"

Brenda: "Bathroom's right outside in the hall. And be sure to get under your nails, you've been mucking around in the dirt all day."

Lee: "Yes ma'am."

He turns to walk out the room, but Joel places a hand on his shoulder to stop him and leans in to speak next to his ear so that no one would hear him.

Joel: "I'll try to keep them all from eating anything for as long as I can. You head upstairs and see if they ain't hiding something there."

He lets Lee go when he nods and moves to take a seat next to Katjaa on the end of the dining table. Lee looks around the hallway to see multiple plaques on the walls. High school diploma and college degree; The St. John brothers obviously aren't stupid if they've been able to earn those. On the other wall was family picture frames. There was a framed picture of Andy and Danny, and another with Brenda and, their father and husband, Terry. He then notices a red cord that was leading from the back of the bookcase all the way up to the second floor. Carefully and quietly, Lee begins making his way upstairs. He kept going until one step had let out a creak and silently gasps while turning around to see if anyone heard the noise. Thankfully, nobody did and continues going up the steps until he was on the second floor. The red cord was leading to a closet that Lee approached and opens it up. Inside it was a few towels, boxes and a trash can filled with used medical supplies.

Lee: "Eugh, what is this stuff? Looks like a bunch of medical waste in here; IV tubes, saline… What would dairy farmers need with this kind of stuff? What do they need so much morphine for?… Huh, where's that cord going?"

The cord had lead all the way to a plug from inside the closet. The man bends down and connects them, causing a small light to shine from a small hole in the wall of the closet and he waves his hand around it.

Lee: "What the hell?"

He stands back up and walks over to the bedroom door, thinking that it would show where the light was coming from. When he opens the door, he had expected to see Mark inside it like Brenda had told him, but, to his surprise, he was nowhere to be found. She would have some explaining to do once he was done upstairs. Lee looks out the window when he heard the thunder and sees some dark clouds approaching the dairy farm and got a feeling that a storm was coming, and soon. After further investigation in the room, he finds a small blood stain on the floor and more light was shining from underneath a bookshelf. Curious of what was behind it, he pushes it to the left and finds another door to where he guessed it leads to a private bathroom. He took a deep breath, grasps the door handle and opens it, preparing for whatever was inside, but what he finds is something completely unexpected and threw him off guard. Mark was lying on the blood-stained floor and was missing a pair of legs. Lee's jaw dropped and had gone wide-eyed while Mark reached out to him.

Mark: "Lee…"

Lee had covered his mouth from the sight of Mark's maimed legs for a second and kneels next to him

Lee: "Mark!? Oh, my God! What the hell happened? Who did this to you?!"

Mark: "…Brothers…"

Lee: "Where the hell are your legs, Mark?!"

Mark: "…Don't…eat…dinner."

Lee: "What?!"

That was when he had finally put it all together. The bear trap in the woods, the wheelbarrow of clothes, the bloody room in the barn, Jolene's warning, it all lead to one terrifying conclusion; The St. Johns are a family of cannibals.

Brenda: "Lee, did you fall in? Dinner's on the table and everyone's waiting on you."

He rose to his feet and knew that the dinner she was talking about was actually the meat from Mark's legs. He also realizes that Joel won't be able to stall the people from eating Mark's legs any longer. With that in mind, Lee rushes out the bedroom, down the stairs and abruptly stops right at the dining room doorway. He notices Danny's rifle placed right beside him on the end of the table, but turns his attention to Clementine as she had picked up a fork to dig in to her meal, along with everyone else. But before they could get the chance,

Lee: "Don't eat that!"

They all heard the man's warning. Clementine had set her fork down and places her hands on her lap.

Joel: "Jesus, Lee. What happened? You find something?"

Larry: "Aw, sit your ass down, Lee. This lady has made you a meal."

Lilly: "Yeah, Lee, what's gotten into you?"

Brenda: "He's just a lil starved."

Larry: "He could use some goddamn manners!"

Danny could tell exactly what he was about to tell everyone when he shook his head and speaks lowly.

Danny: "It didn't have to be this way…"

Lee: "Mark is upstairs with both of his legs hacked off! You were all about to _eat_ him!"

Lilly: "That's crazy."

Joel: "What the hell?"

Brenda: "Now, now."

Ellie: "What did you say?"

Kenny: "You're scaring the kids, Lee."

Lilly: "Lee, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Larry: "Don't indulge him, Lilly. It's _always_ something with this guy."

Not taking any chances of her son eating something unsanitary, Katjaa snatches Duck's plate full of meat away from him.

Duck: "Mom, I was gonna eat that!"

Ellie: "What the hell's going on?"

Lee: "They're picking us off to trade as meat!"

Larry: "You're outta your skull!"

Lee: "Damn it, Larry! Did you hear what I just said?! Mark is upstairs right now with _no legs_! Brenda, please tell me that he was _not_ about to be eaten just now."

All eyes, including her sons', were now on Brenda. They could all see the anxious look on her face, and she realizes that they could no longer hide their little secret anymore when she sighs,

Brenda: "It's true."

Ellie then looks her plate in repulsion and pushes it away with both of her hands.

Danny: "Everything coulda turned out okay for you folks…"

Joel watches the younger brother use a fork to eat the human flesh like it was nothing serious and pushes his own plate away.

Joel: "I don't believe this."

Andy: "He would've died anyway! We gotta think about living!"

Ellie: "Died?! For God's sake, he was just shot in the shoulder with an arrow! Was it really that hard for you people to just pull it out and-"

Brenda: "Settle down, honey… Growin' up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste. It's how I was raised and how I raised my boys. Now, you got monsters roaming around that do nothing but eat people. And for what? To continue to rot till they eat some more! We think we can put that meat to better use."

The rest of the group, except the St. Johns, had pushed away their plates, no longer wanting to take even a nibble of the meat.

Lilly: "Ugh, I'm gonna puke."

Lee: "You're all sick… sick in the head!"

The lady farmer glared at his words.

Brenda: "Lee, that's not a very nice thing to imply."

She takes a calming breath before turning to her older son.

Brenda: "Andy is right; we go after folks who were gonna die anyways, one way or another."

Danny swallows his food and narrowed his eyes.

Danny: "Like y'all."

Lee looked around to see the brothers exchanging glances at each other. He could tell that all hell was about to break loose, and he wasn't the only one.

Joel: "Ellie, everyone, let's go. We're leaving."

The man stands up from his seat and was about to attempt to leave, but was stopped when Andy draws his pistol and aims it at his face.

Andy: "Nobody's going anywhere!"

Joel was about to quickly pull out his own revolver, but notices Danny aiming his rifle right at him.

Danny: "We got lots of use for y'all, right here."

They had him outgunned and were both ready to fire in case he tries to use his weapon on either one of them. There was nothing he could do at that moment.

Larry: "What the- What… the fucking- What… Fuck!?"

Lilly: "Put your guns down! We're walking out of here!"

Kenny: "You don't go near my fucking family!"

Duck: "Mommy, I don't wanna die! Mommy, what was on my plate?"

Lee: "Somebody do something!"

The younger little girl was panicking and breathing franticly.

Clementine: "L-Lee… Lee…"

Suddenly, Andy grabs her frizzy hair and yanks her right out of her seat, causing her to yelp in pain.

Ellie: "What the hell, asshole?!"

Andy points his gun at the older little girl on his right to silence her.

Lee: "Let go of her, you son of a bitch!"

He tries to run straight at him, but Danny kept him right where he was by jamming the barrel of his weapon on Lee's neck, forcing him to step back. But then, they hear something upstairs fall on the wooden floor, catching everyone's attention. Whatever they just heard was now slowly coming down the stairs. They all soon see Mark dragging himself across the floor towards the room, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Mark: "Pleeease! Someone!"

Everyone gasps at what they see. If there was any doubt in what this family of farmers does to other folks, there definitely wasn't anymore. Concerned about his little girl, Lee turns around and sees Clementine shocked at what was happening and tries to reassure her.

Lee: "Clemen-!"

The man was interrupted by Danny's cheap shot to the head with the butt of his rifle. He collapses to the wooden floor, completely unconscious. Clementine and a few others gasped at what he did, and Mark reaches out at Danny and begs.

Mark: "Don't do this! Please!"

Danny: "Oh, shut up."

He bashes the rifle butt on Mark's head, knocking him out as well. Joel was now too furious to stay still.

Joel: "You motherfucker!"

He starts charging at him, but then a gunshot stops him at his tracks. It was Brenda that had fired her own pistol and the bullet had gone straight into the wooden wall, missing Joel's face by inches.

Brenda: "Now, look what you gone and made me do. Do you know long it's gonna take to fix that?"

He glares at her and the brothers once more. This family was indeed psychotic and now they've managed to make Lee they're hostage. There was nothing he or anyone in the group could do without getting themselves, or Lee, shot.

Brenda: "Now then, unless any of y'all would like your friend down there to have a bullet in his head, you'll do everything that we say."

They all knew she was talking about Lee. It was obvious that Mark had already lost too much blood for him to survive. Larry turned to his daughter and she shakes her head at him, mentally telling him they can't let anything happen to Lee. He listens, but was still pissed that he allowed himself to be used as a hostage.

Brenda: "Danny, be a dear and take whatever Lee's got on him."

Danny: "Yes, Momma."

Danny bends down and starts searching Lee's pockets.

Brenda: "As for the rest of you, sit up and put all of your things right here on the table. Now."

They were all reluctant at first, but the guns that were pointed at their heads let them know that they didn't have any choice in the matter. Eventually, everyone slowly got up from their seats just as Joel had pulled out his revolver and slams it on the table, takes off his backpack and sets it on the seat. The others follow suit, placing their possessions on the table and raise their hands in surrender. Danny also puts Lee's fireaxe, the multi-tool, the video camera and the belt from the generator on the table.

Andy: "Is that everything that y'all have on ya?"

Joel had looked at the table to see if everything they had was there. At first, it seemed like everyone complied when he saw Katjaa's medical kit, Ellie's backpack, Kenny's rifle and Lilly's handgun, but he notices that something was missing. Ellie didn't give up her switchblade. Joel gives the girl a look, wondering what in God's name was she thinking, and she gives him a look that suggests that she knows what she's doing, and to trust her. He gives it a second thought and realizes that these farmers don't know about her little blade and they just might be able to use that to their advantage. But they still can't try anything that would risk endangering Lee's life.

Joel: "Yeah, that's everything."

Andy: "For his sake, it had better be."

Joel: "I said it's all there."

Andy: "I heard you the first time."

He finally releases the little girl's hair.

Danny: "What do you want us to do with them, Momma?"

Brenda: "What we always do, sweetie; you and Andy will put them in storage for later."

The brothers gesture their guns at the front door and everyone makes their way towards it. But then, Brenda aims at Katjaa and Duck.

Brenda: "Except for these two."

Katjaa: "What?"

Kenny: "What the hell are you talking about?"

Brenda: "Maybelle's the only cow we've got left and we need our new veterinarian here to make sure she stays with us for a good long while."

Katjaa: "B-but, what do you want with my son?"

Brenda: "We don't really need him, but if you're not willing to cooperate us, then he'll be your… motivation."

Katjaa had gasped, knowing that they would hurt her little boy if she doesn't listen to their orders. Kenny's blood was boiling as much as Lee's was a moment ago.

Kenny: "Don't you fucking dare lay a hand on my family!"

Andy: "You're not in the position to be making demands. If you really care about these two, then get moving."

Kenny glares at Andy and then turns to his wife with a concerned look on both of their faces. Not willing to risk his family getting hurt and knowing he had no choice, he relents and follows the group outside. Joel was the first walk outside with his hands up and Andy still aiming the gun at his head. Clementine was holding on to Ellie's arm right behind Joel, terrified than she has ever been before. Behind them were Lilly, Larry and Kenny. Danny was the last one to step out of the house and was carrying Lee by the collar of his jacket.

Clementine: "E-Ellie?"

Ellie: "Yeah?"

Clementine: "Wh-what're they gonna do us?"

Ellie: "I have no idea, Clementine. Joel?"

Joel: "Just calm down. We're gonna be fine."

Andy: "Shut up and keep walking."

The brothers were leading them straight to their barn. As they were walking, the dark clouds were now closer to the farm. It wouldn't be long until it started to rain. When they stepped inside the barn, Joel then knew that they were being taken to the bloody back room, which was proven to be their slaughter house. Knowing Lee, this was something he wouldn't want Clementine to see. Speaking of which, the younger girl peeked to the left to see what was ahead of Joel and the sight of blood immediately caused her to look away and focuses on the floor as she walked. When they entered the back room, she shuts her eyes from seeing the bloody floor. Ellie didn't appear to be phased as much as Clementine was, but was still shocked at seeing so much blood around her.

Ellie: "Oh, God."

Joel: "Yeah, I know."

Ellie: "What the hell is this?"

Joel: "A human slaughter house."

Clementine tightens her grip on Ellie's jacket sleeve. Andy opens up a metal door in the room and orders the people inside.

Andy: "Get in there."

One by one, they each stepped into the small room; a meat locker. It became clear about what Brenda meant by "storage". There wasn't much inside it other than a pile of salt licks, a couple pallets, boxes full of meat and a few objects stocked on some shelves. After everyone was inside, Danny approaches the doorway.

Danny: "Here's your leader."

He tosses Lee into the room and Clementine was quick to kneel right beside him.

Andy: "Now, you all stay here and get comfy. Don't worry, we'll let y'all out when we decide we're good and ready for ya. Oh, and thank you for stopping by at the St. John Dairy."

The door was pulled all the closed, locking everyone inside it.

Kenny: "No! Argh!"

He tries to open it up, but the door was locked and he starts banging on it.

Kenny: "You motherfuckers! Give me back my family right now!"

Larry was unimpressed of his efforts and pushes him aside.

Larry: "Move over. I'll break this door down myself."

The old man starts continuously banging on the door and ranting at the St. Johns, even though they had already gone elsewhere.

Ellie: "Aw man, this is fucked up. This is so fucked up!"

Joel: "Keep it together."

Lilly: "I knew it. I knew we shouldn't have left that damn motor inn…"

Kenny: "What're you yammering about now?"

Lilly: "I told you that this farm wasn't safe to begin with, but you just had to insist on having the whole group to stay here!"

Kenny: "And I told _you_ that those fuckers were hiding something in their barn, but _you_ wanted to leave it alone!"

Joel: "Would you both just shut the fuck up already?! We're in here now, so there's no point in arguing about it!"

They both glare at the man, but then he turns his attention to Clementine. He approaches her as she desperately shakes Lee's shoulders to wake him up.

Clementine: "Lee, please, wake up! Wake up, wake up!"

Joel: "Clementine, settle down, alright? Here, let me have a look at him."

He sets Lee up against a pile of salt licks and bends down to his level.

Joel: "Come on, Lee. As much as you wanna catch up on your sleep, we ain't got time for that right now. Up and at em!"

He slaps him on the cheek twice to get him to wake up, but Lee only mumbles in response.

Clementine: "Is he going to be all right?"

Joel: "Yeah. Don't worry; he'll come around in a minute. You keep an eye on him until he does, okay?"

Clementine: "Okay."

Larry: "You goddamn sons of bitches! Open the door!"

Lilly: "Dad, calm down."

Ellie: "Joel, what're we gonna do? How are we gonna get outta here?"

Joel: "I don't know yet. Just have a look around, see what you can find."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N For those that didn't notice, I've allowed Joel to prevent the group from eating human meat. One of the changes that I have planned for this crossover. Also, if you were in Joel's postition, would you have let Ellie keep her switchblade or tell her to give it up?**


End file.
